


Stand in the Rain

by Shadow of an Echo (AyotliKestrel)



Category: Bleach
Genre: Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mpreg, Multi, Recovery, explained mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-04-04 11:37:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 155,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4136004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyotliKestrel/pseuds/Shadow%20of%20an%20Echo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a plot of Aizen's creation leaves Ichigo in a fragile state, and a painful confession has his usual support grow cold, who will stop the rain pouring down in his soul? The healing journey will be hard, the memories haunting his every step, but in the end a treasure awaits.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everybody's Fool

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written up to chapter 24, and I will post it in large chunks if not all at once. However, my actual updates can take a very long time (it took me over two years to write Safe in my Arms which has about 200,000 words) but I usually finish what I start, if it starts taking me an epically long time to update go ahead and poke me. The inspiration will be very much appreciated, I WILL NOT get angry.

Chapter One

Everybody's Fool

Ichigo didn't know how long he had been a prisoner in Los Noches. Was it Days? Weeks? Surely, it couldn't have been months. Could it? Zangetsu was with him, but the connection had never been so faint between them before. His sword was safe, but kept well away from him, the distance straining the deeply ingrained bond between them. Even his Hollow had retreated to the background. Ichigo's violent alter ego had worn himself out fighting, not even his strength could break them loose.

A collar. A simple collar, and black stone chain, was all that kept Ichigo kenneled. Well not all, but that was all that could be seen at first glance. The collar wrapped around his neck, hugging his skin, heavy with the weight of seki seki stone. The chain linked into the collar was short and heavier than steel, keeping his head bowed while his neck and shoulders screamed in pain at the position. The other end of his chain was secured to a chair at the head of the Espada meeting hall. Aizen's chair. This alone would have shamed the prideful young Visored. That wasn't the end though.

Ichigo's chain and collar was the only thing worn on his body. Not one stitch of fabric covered him from view. His crouched and hunched over form was revealed to all who looked on. During every meeting, Aizen's hand would be stroking down his naked back and shoulders, even petting his hair like he was a prized show dog. Aizen did not want his pet going soft, he had the Espada run his prize into the ground in the practice arena at least three times a day. Ichigo's physical body had never been in better shape, but his mind was locking down, protecting itself with layers of obscurity.

Aizen's touches. They burned into his flesh. Not just revulsion ran through him at the stroking hands, and his shame grew. The further his brain shut down, the more his body reacted to those touches; he was reaching out to the warmth and seeming comfort of human contact rather than the loneliness of his confinement. In his more lucid moments he heard the screaming of his family and friends in his head, asking him what the Hell he had been thinking, and telling him what a disgrace he was.

Women had never truly held his interest before, the incidents with Yoruichi didn't really count, after all how would you react if you were suddenly confronted by a naked woman when you were expecting to see a male, if not a cat? His blushes had been pulled from him thanks to embarrassment, not desire. No, Ichigo realized a few years ago he was not intended for the fairer sex, but it wasn't something he mentioned, ever. He did think Chad might have figured it out, but his quiet friend would keep his secrets.

Aizen was not unattractive. Even in the midst of illusion and shadows the man had a kind of allure to him, he had to, otherwise the very same Arrancar he created could just as easily turn on him. Having an attractive male running his hands all over Ichigo's sensitive skin was igniting his repressed desires. No matter how much Ichigo hated Aizen, he couldn't get away from those questing hands.

The Espada gathered in the hall whenever there were no missions to attend to, meaning Ichigo's shame was witnessed. The majority of the Espada averted their eyes and kept their mouths shut about him in his presence, they did not want to anger their lord by insulting his plaything. The sexta Espada had no such compunctions, he was often seen staring at the Visored's embarrassment, or growling insults at him. Grimmjow was punished most every day for his impudence, yet he hadn't backed off on it.

Another 'night' descended on Los Noches, but with Aizen's illusions night came when he made it so, none of them knew how long he would stretch each period of light or dark. Nighttime was the only point Ichigo was left alone with his thoughts, he was a pet and plaything, not a consort. Evenings were spent chained to that damn chair, Ichigo fighting tooth and nail to break the chain, every morning Szayel would be required to heal the welts left by the collar when it dug into his skin as he fought to free himself.

This night he didn't fight. He pulled repetitively against the chain, rocking back and forth, but no real strength was used. What was the point? It would only be painful, and when the day came he would have to do his daily torture with the Espada when he was worn out from a night of struggle. Those voices started up again, yelling at him for his weakness, but he was so tired. His body curled up on the stone floor, the chill stiffening his muscles, and his eyes slowly drifted shut. Sleep, maybe sleep would help.

The moment he dropped off to sleep he felt himself slip into his inner world. The blue sky was dark, the clouds had gathered, and it was pouring down rain. Within moments Ichigo's naked shivering form was soaked, his shaggy orange hair plastered to his skull, and he once again curled up laying listlessly against the sideways building he had materialized on.

"King, get up," His Hollow, one of two additional parts of his soul, was stroking his hair and urging him to stand.

Tired, dead looking, brown eyes opened, "Why should I?"

"Because no King should bow to a commoner, get up now, fight me again. Wake up and fight." The Hollow pressed.

"If you want my soul, take it, it's yours." Ichigo rolled over, avoiding the stunned golden gaze.

The next thing Ichigo was aware of was a smack across his face, the Hollow hitting him solidly, "When are you going to figure it out?" The Hollow demanded.

Ichigo only stared.

"I don't need to take what I already have." The Hollow informed him, "I am not a separate being, I AM your soul, well half of it anyway. Zangetsu is the separate entity, but we are one." It was a minor, but important, difference; Zanpakuto were connected to the Shinigami's soul, but a Visored's Hollow was a part of it.

"Why all the fighting?" Good, Ichigo still had enough spirit to protest, a small but good sign.

"I will not obey a weak King, and who better to toughen you up than the one who knows you best? I hurt you, I threaten you and those you care about, and you rise to the challenge and win. You get the training, and I get a King worth serving," The Hollow explained.

Ichigo's eyes closed in shame, "I guess we both lose now."

Another smack, "We haven't lost yet. You and I are still here, battered and bruised as we are, but we are still alive. The only way we lose is if you give up now. I will not let you do that, not with help so close to us."

"Help?" Ichigo whispered.

"Yes, and not coming from where you think." The Hollow started stroking his hair again, the touch gentle despite the hits, but not possessive like Aizen's.

"Who?" Asked without much enthusiasm, hope had been squashed out of him awhile ago.

"You are telling me you honestly haven't noticed?" The Hollow enticed, trying to provoke some kind of reaction.

"What am I supposed to notice when I can't even lift my head?" Ichigo protested gruffly, relieving the Hollow. Ichigo could still get mad, another good sign.

The Hollow smirked, an evil looking expression crossing his face, "Who is the one that stares when all others avert their eyes? Who is the one who yells when you are moments away from breaking? Who is the one that endures punishment after punishment trying to keep us sane?"

"Are you trying to tell me Grimmjow did all that to help us?" Ichigo was feeling lost again, but the Hollow didn't miss the switch from singular to plural, so he had accepted his words as truth. Very, very good sign, trust was easily broken when the mind was already fragile.

"Probably," The Hollow responded.

"You are basing your hope of rescue on a probably?" Ichigo groused.

If Ichigo was going to play that game, the Hollow had no problem following his lead, "Better than giving up, I can't help but think his timing is suspicious. He pulls one of his stunts at around the same time I am tempted to slap some sense into you. I may be tired out from fighting those chains, but I can still cause damage. He knows something, what I don't know, but his actions bear watching."

"I don't like it, he hates us, why would he help?" Ichigo mused.

"He isn't particularly fond of Aizen either," The Hollow reminded. "Do you really think a person like Grimmjow likes bowing down to a Shinigami on a power trip? The Espada are just as trapped here as we are, their chains are not visible like ours, but they are still there."

"Why would he follow Aizen in the first place if he hates him so much?" Ichigo grumbled, and with every bit of emotion shown, the Hollow's hope grew.

He quirked an eyebrow, "Grimmjow is not a natural Arrancar, Aizen made him, and following him lets Grimmjow indulge his battle lusts. If there is anything deeper, you would have to ask him and survive the asking, but that is a lowly Hollow's view on him." He teased.

Ichigo didn't want to talk about that any more, hope could be a dangerous thing. "What do I call you?"

The Hollow blinked, "Huh?"

"Seems rude to call you Hollow all the time. If you really are a part of me, we are going to be stuck together for a long time, if we manage to get out of here anyway. You might as well have a name, Zangetsu does." Ichigo felt a fleeting touch of amusement at the flustered Hollow, but it soon dispersed.

"I don't have one," He admitted.

Ichigo thought for a few moments, "What about Junichi?"

"Obedient one? You're kidding right?" The Hollow glared and bristled in irritation.

"You call me King," Ichigo started to explain, "And everyone else seems to expect me to be the one controlling you. What they don't know, we can use against them. You are a part of me according to you, so 'Ichi' would fit." He finished with a slight shrug.

The Hollow stared down at his human counter part, thinking over what he said, a vicious grin bloomed across his face, "I knew you weren't broken yet. All right, I will accept the name, but don't let it go to your head. We are equals, don't ever forget that."

Ichigo gave him an odd look, "Why would I forget? I'm the one who suggested it be used as a cover."

Junichi suddenly tensed, "Ichigo you have to go, I feel someone trying to wake you, hurry." As soon as the words left him, Ichigo faded out of this world and back into the hell hole called Los Noches.

Junichi stared into the dark clouds, his King still had the spark of life he needed, but it was so dim. "Careful King, this is only the beginning," He whispered, watching the awful rain still pouring into the sideways world.

Ichigo was surprised when he woke up to find it still dark, he had feared Aizen had decided to shorten the night and it was time for another round of humiliation. The faint glimmer of moonlight filtering into the room made it possible to see the vague outline of a solidly built figure standing over him, light filtering through the hole in his abdomen. That was shocking enough, but the truly terrifying part was the hand covering his mouth, preventing any sound from escaping.

"Finally awake," The half-growling voice was low and rumbling, barely loud enough for Ichigo to hear despite being inches away from Grimmjow. "If you care about your miserable hide, don't scream."

Ichigo slowly nodded in agreement with the order, feeling the hand slowly retract, "What are you doing here?" Ichigo's voice was raspy from disuse on the physical plain, but he kept it as quiet as possible.

"I'm busting you out of here," Grimmjow grinned widely, a cat catching the canary kind of grin.

"Why?" Ichigo asked, wanting to know how right Junichi had been.

The grin widened to impossible levels, "To piss off Aizen," He replied simply. "I have your Zanpakuto, Gin really should have kept better track of it, but while you are wearing that rather fetching collar it's practically useless to you." To prove it Grimmjow held up the hilt with the broken blade he held in his hand, the connection so weak between sword and master Zangetsu couldn't maintain even Shikai release.

Ichigo was reaching for it anyway, relieved enough if Grimmjow hadn't been standing over him his eyes may have watered a bit. His battle partner stayed in the broken form, even while Ichigo clutched the precious sword to his bare chest. "How do I get the damn collar off?"

If the grin was scary, that was nothing compared to the predatory gaze smoldering into Ichigo now, "Tell me Shinigami, are you a virgin?"

Ichigo's whole body blushed, and Grimmjow watched it with unabashed glee, the sputtered response making his feral side come out to play even more, "Why the Hell does that matter?" Ichigo barely managed to keep his voice down, but even that level of shock wasn't enough to forget about Aizen.

"Ever wonder what happens when a person with as much spiritual pressure as you gets fucked?" Grimmjow was sounding way too pleased with himself.

Ichigo's silence was all the answer he would get on that.

Grimmjow's expression never faded, "You really are an innocent aren't you? Interesting. Sex is the only release stronger than battle. Especially the first time. In short, you get fucked, all that power suppressed by that collar will force its way out, if you are powerful enough even Seki Seki stone has a limit to what it can take before it breaks. Why do you think as much as Aizen strokes and pets you, he has never once made you come, despite how much humiliation you would suffer?"

"How do you know he could make me even if he tried?" Ichigo said defiantly, the spark of life Junichi had beaten back into him coming to the forefront.

"Hmm, I wonder Ichigo, did you know Hollows have a curious adaptation? Our home was originally endless night, can you guess what that means?" Grimmjow was deliberately drawing out that fire, it would make what was to come even better.

Another blank stare.

"We can see in the dark," Grimmjow informed with his teasing grin, looking pointedly down to Ichigo's bare body, and the secret that Ichigo had been trying to hide. "You have been half-hard ever since you woke up with me standing over you. If Aizen wanted to make you come, you would have, without illusions." To prove his point, Grimmjow put one calloused hand on Ichigo's shoulder, and stroked down the length of his back, ending at his hip. The teen shuddered and gooseflesh sprung to life, with Ichigo once again looking down at the ground in shame.

"This doesn't have to hurt, or be unpleasant, but if you fight me I will not be able to control myself. We only have a short time before the drugs Szayel administered to the Shinigami wear off, if you are not gone by then we could be killed," Grimmjow's voice was tinged with urgency, he wasn't joking.

"What do I do!" Ichigo shouted into his inner world.

Junichi surfaced, wrapping his arms around his King in comfort, "Let him, he isn't lying. It has the best chance of working, plus it's not like you aren't attracted to him, and he is kind of giving you a choice."

"I trust you," Ichigo responded, turning to look at Grimmjow, not noticing the startled look, "I won't fight," He whispered softly, a few more pieces of his pride collapsing at the admission.

"Why did your eyes change color?" Grimmjow asked curiously, running his hands along Ichigo's exposed back and sides, caressing the toned muscles, getting Ichigo ready for more.

Ichigo was shuddering at the feel of the hands on him, Aizen's hands were soft, he didn't fight just stood back and watched, but Grimmjow didn't let a day go by that he wasn't picking a fight. His hands were tough, and strong, scars and calluses scraping roughly over Ichigo's overly sensitive flesh. "Hollow." Ichigo ground out between clenched teeth, not wanting to let the low moan of pleasure out.

"No mask?" Grimmjow let his voice go low and husky, whispering into Ichigo's ear, nibbling on the side of his neck.

Ichigo shook his head weakly, "Not fighting, helping," Well that wasn't very helpful. Oh wait.

"Your Hollow is protecting you?" Grimmjow's lips found the sensitive patch of skin over Ichigo's collarbone, just below the article keeping him prisoner. He felt Ichigo nod, but more importantly, heard the slight hitch of breath as he sucked on the spot he found, not quite biting, just putting pressure there. "You like that?"

Ichigo's body dropped below him, "Quit teasing," He ground out, hating the weakness he had shown.

"If you insist," Grimmjow replied, unapologetically nibbling that sweet spot once more, before reaching into his pocket and fishing out the bottle of oil he had thought to bring.

Ichigo heard the faint click as the lid came open, but was distracted by now wet fingers sitting on his lower back, not sliding lower until his body heat had warmed the fluid. The feel of the first intrusion was a mix of slight pain, but shameful pleasure too. It felt odd, but not unpleasant. A few moments later and a second intrusion, a little more painful than the last, made itself known. This did not stay stationary, but moved, stretching him, but at the same time searching. It wasn't long before stars danced across Ichigo's vision and for the life of him he couldn't stop the moan.

"Relax," Grimmjow's deep voice purred into his ears, "It will hurt less if you relax." He used his free hand to rub small circles into Ichigo's tense shoulders, trying to loosen the tension there while nudging the little bundle of nerves with his other hand earning another moan.

Junichi held him tighter, joining the pieces of their soul back together, allowing Ichigo access to the feral side of their nature. With less human and more Hollow, some of the shame died and Ichigo allowed Grimmjow's touch to relax him.

When Grimmjow felt the softening of Ichigo's muscles, he slid in a third to join the others. A surprised, but cocky grin spread on his face as Ichigo began to respond to his touch, arching into him, finally allowing himself to enjoy it. Seeing that, his hand went to the tie on his pants, letting them fall to the ground.

Ichigo let nothing but the feel of Grimmjow, and the sensation of his touch, wash over him, not allowing himself to think about it any more. He made his choice. When he felt the intruding, but oh so pleasurable, fingers retreat he was embarrassed at the needy whine that escaped him.

Grimmjow carefully adjusted how Ichigo was positioned, finding the best angle the short chain allowed. A bit more of the oil spread over his aching manhood and he was poised and ready. "Stay relaxed," Grimmjow warned, before claiming the man below him.

The first thing Ichigo felt was pain, stinging, burning pain, Grimmjow himself was bigger than what had prepared him. A pained gasp escaped him, only to be followed by a chocked cry as Grimmjow finished entering and brushed against the place that sent fireworks through his mind. Thought stopped at that point. Nothing was felt, or thought, or said, beyond the sensation of their joining. Ichigo found himself rocking backwards, keeping rhythm with the man claiming him. It wasn't all gentle, a few intrusions were harsh enough to be overcast by pain, but Ichigo didn't mind pain, made him feel alive again.

When Ichigo felt the strong hand stroke his own hardness he let out another moan, knowing he wouldn't last long like this. That was okay, Grimmjow wasn't far either, and he could feel the blocked power pushing against its bonds, growing steadily stronger as Ichigo grew closer to the end. He had noticed Ichigo found a bit of pleasure in pain, and there was one more way he could help Ichigo. As he thrust hard and fast, but controlled at the same time, he watched for the signs. The tensing of his muscles, the closing of his eyes, the clenching of his internal walls, at the moment of release Grimmjow bit down on the back of Ichigo's neck, forcing his own spiritual pressure into the wound, boosting Ichigo's.

The moment Grimmjow's teeth sank into his neck, Ichigo lost control, his release combined with Grimmjow's burst of Spiritual Power had the bonds on his power strain, and buckle, before shattering completely. The collar falling from his neck as Grimmjow thrust into him again, finding his own release in feeling Ichigo's power flaring around them.

Ichigo had never felt more completely alive as he did in those moments of completion and release. His power flooding to him like a long lost friend. The familiar presence of Zangetsu in his mind returning to his full glory, he even let out a chuckle as Junichi let go of him in order to tackle the old man.

Then Grimmjow moved off of him and reality came crashing back down. He had just let an Espada fuck him. A male Espada. A male Espada that had tried to kill him. A male Espada that had tried to kill him, and was an enemy to his kind. He felt all the shame come washing back to him as he realized he didn't feel violated or dirty, just satisfied and content. He had enjoyed it.

Grimmjow had been watching Ichigo's face, he saw when the real world hit him once more, the panic and distress, followed quickly by disgust and the beginnings of rage. "We don't have time for self-pity, like I said those drugs won't keep those vultures asleep for much longer. I can open a Garganta for you, but do you want it into the living world or Soul Society?"

Both Junichi and Zangetsu were clutching Ichigo to them, their battered King was at the end of his endurance. "Soul Society… I don't think I can face my family yet." Ichigo admitted quietly, taking comfort in their arms. Even if they were just mentally holding him, it was more gentle support than he had since his mother was alive.

Grimmjow handed the distraught Visored his Zanpakuto, watching as the broken hilt morphed into one of the strongest swords ever wielded. Seeing the broken form, knowing how close Ichigo was to letting that spark of life die in shame, Grimmjow redressed himself, and picked Ichigo up. Carrying him in his arms he Sonidoed away from the fortress, knowing someone would feel the opening of the gate if he tried it anywhere in range of Los Noches.

Grimmjow set Ichigo on his feet once the Garganta was opened. "This will take you to Sokyoku hill, it's the one place in Soul Society we can get to since Aizen escaped from there, he left it vulnerable to the opening of Gargantas." Grimmjow wondered if Ichigo realized that he had just been given a vital piece of information, it was just one more way to piss off Aizen.

Ichigo started walking woodenly through the portal, only to stop as Grimmjow called out. "Oh by the way, if you do not manage to kill Aizen, I will be forced to fight you again. Get stronger Shinigami, you are the only one with a shot." With that Grimmjow turned and started back towards Los Noches.

It was not Ichigo that made it through the portal, a few steps in Junichi took over from his King. The orange haired young man faded into their world and stood clutching Zangetsu to him, for his part the stoic sword allowed it, he had missed his tough young wielder too. By the time their feet hit the ground in soul society, the toll of their imprisonment caught up to them, the weakness from lasting exposure to seki seki stone that no amount of physical activity could alleviate hit them hard. Ichigo collapsed onto the dusty ground, breathing in the scent of Soul Society. When a Squad Two team investigated the disturbance they discovered the nude body of the missing substitute Soul Reaper passed out cold.

From there he was taken to the Squad Four barracks, where Captain Unohana herself took care of him. He didn't wake up once during her examination. When she was satisfied she had done all she could for him, she had her seventh seat watch over him, knowing the boy and Ichigo knew each other, while she went to report to the other Captains.

All other Captains had managed to get there before her, a rarity considering they were often scattered all across Soul Society. It had only been a few hours since Ichigo was found.

"Captain Unohana, please explain in what condition Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki was found in?" Head-Captain Yamamoto ordered, despite the please, it was definitely an order.

"For the length of time he was gone, his body was in surprisingly good shape. He has been allowed, or forced, to exercise regularly during his capture. There is evidence of exposure to seki seki stone, for what seems like the majority of time he has been missing. Damage to his neck and shoulders indicate a collar of the stone was the most likely method. The damage wrought was most likely self-inflicted in attempts to get away going by the bruising patterns. There are signs of healing around those same areas, suggesting Aizen had some interest in keeping the boy healthy. There was unfortunately signs of very recent sexual intercourse, the spirit pressure found within him indicate an Arrancar class Hollow, with Espada level power." She spoke clinically and to the point, she could never afford to show emotion during a briefing, no matter how much she may want to.

"Okay, I think we can leave the hornet's nest for last," Kyouraku spoke first, surprising a few, "You said he may have been forced to exercise. How can you tell if he was forced, or he was just pushing himself too hard?"

"There were several strained and badly healed tears in his muscles and connective tissues, I have treated Ichigo after his own training sessions, and sparring matches, he has never let himself get that bad. Especially on enemy territory, he would be much more cautious than that," She responded to her old friend, guessing he was up to something by his unusual forwardness.

"This collar, how big would it have to be to contain Kurosaki's power? He has an obscene amount." Captain Soi Fon spoke up, a tad jealous of her mentor's other protégé, but not so much she would over look her duties.

"Placed around the neck, even a small amount of the stone can be brutally efficient. I would say about an inch thick and two or three inches wide. The weight alone would be enough to hamper movement, seki seki stone is one of the heaviest naturally occurring substances." Kurotsuchi took over for that explanation, having investigated the rock and its uses heavily.

"Is the stone going to have any lasting effects on him?" Captain Ukitake asked worriedly.

"A bit of dizziness and nausea for the first few days, and an inclination to faint or black out for the next few weeks, after that he should be back to normal." Kurotsuchi didn't have a whole lot of empathy for Ichigo, the brat would be fine in time.

Yamamoto looked over his Captains realizing they were going to circle around the topic for hours if someone didn't speak up soon, he was just about to speak up when the question that needed asking came from an unusual source, "All right you cowards, was the boy raped or not?" Zaraki asked Unohana sharply.

"Inconclusive on that," Unohana made a quick choice, her incredibly underestimated friend not missing her slight tells. "The encounter is likely what broke Ichigo free from his collar, there was no damage that says it was torn off, so it had to have fallen through other means, he is one of the few I would guess to be strong enough to break such a device if his power was condensed enough."

"So either he was forced and it was an accident he escaped, or he figured out the answer and found someone to help him." Komamura was able to state, he didn't really know Ichigo, and was not clouded by bias like most of the others.

"With what I know of the kid, he would never allow something like that," Kyouraku spoke lazily again, a sharp gaze passing between three old friends. "With the apparent attempts to keep him healthy Aizen made I don't see him authorizing that kind of abuse. I think we are dealing with a rogue Espada, one of them is not following Aizen's orders, or at least not completely. None of the Espada have shown any tenderness towards Ichigo, but enough hate him, one may just hate Ichigo more than they do Aizen."

"A very good point," Yamamoto spoke up then, "The boy will be kept in Soul Society until the effects of the Seki Seki stone have abated. He has until that time to log a full report of what happened to him. What happens beyond that comes down to the details in the report."

Once they established there was nothing more that needed to gone over, the Captains were dismissed. Retsu was not surprised when she was followed back to her division, and to Ichigo's sick room. Once the lightly dozing Hanataro was sent on his way, she turned to her oldest friends. "All right, go ahead and ask," She invited.

"What didn't you say in the meeting? You were hiding something," Shunsui spoke softly, Jyuushiro nodding in agreement.

"I think he is going to need you two," She spoke just as softly.

"What did you find?" Jyuushiro urged gently, worried about the courageous young man.

She went over to where Ichigo was curled up under the covers in the fetal position, his back facing them, carefully moving the blankets so she didn't wake her patient she revealed the bite mark. "I found this, it's laced with Spirit Pressure, the same as what I found inside him."

"The Arrancar was helping him break the collar? Why couldn't you say that in the meeting?" Shunsui knew it was sensitive, but something like a potential ally on the inside would be necessary information.

"There's more," She replied. "I found nothing that showed his hands were bound in any way, but there are no defensive marks, he would have fought this had it been forced. I found traces of oil and signs of preparation, and only as much tearing to be consistent with it being a first time. In addition, I found a bit of the boy's own fluids still on him. This all indicates to me it was not rape, the partner took care of him, and Kurosaki enjoyed it."

Jyuushiro's eyes softened even more, "So that's why you kept quiet."

"Even if it was a one time thing to get him out of there, Old Man Yama would not approve of him enjoying it," Shunsui's words were slightly bitter, but only to those that knew him well.

"Shun, we will take care of him, you heard Yamamoto, we have at least a couple weeks to get through to Ichigo. We have to be careful though, I don't know how comfortable he is with himself yet." Jyuushiro let his hand fall to Shunsui's arm, pulling him close, and resting his head on Shunsui's pink clad shoulder.

"Does it help if I say his current unconsciousness is brought on by shock as much as the Seki Seki," Retsu didn't want to interrupt them, they were rarely safe in showing affection, but Ichigo needed help now.

"So either he just found out he enjoys male company, or it hasn't really hit him until now." Jyuushiro guessed, remembering his own terror.

"We will do all we can for him," Shunsui assured the healer, his arms still wrapped around Jyuushiro.

Retsu just recovered Ichigo, and smoothed down his brightly colored hair with the touch of a mother, "Please do. He has been through a lot, we can only guess how much until he wakes up."


	2. Too Much To Ask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The road to healing is long, but it has to start somewhere.

Ichigo woke slowly. His brain felt foggy and sluggish. He didn't hurt, that alone was enough to pull him further into consciousness. There was a warm blanket draped around his sturdy frame, and a soft mattress beneath his curled up body. Trying to stretch out from the fetal position he found himself did have a hiss of pain escape his lips, stiff and sore muscles screaming in protest. He immediately stopped moving trying to return to his pain free state, but now that he had reminded his tired body of the stress it had endured, the pain refused to relent.

There was suddenly a gentle hand on his shoulder, and a soft voice called to him, "Ichigo, you're finally awake. Try not to move, I will do what I can to help with the pain." It took Ichigo's foggy mind a moment to place the voice.

"Hanataro?" Ichigo rasped the question out of dry lips.

"Yes, you are safe in one of my squad's healing rooms." Hanataro replied, slightly distracted with gathering his Spirit Pressure, readying himself to eliminate as much pain as he could. "I alerted the Captain to your awakening, she will be here in a few moments." He informed as he sent the healing Kido into Ichigo.

With Hanataro's help, Ichigo's muscles lessened their screaming to a dull ache, and for the first time since being chained, Ichigo was able to fully stretch out his body. Even during his forced exercise with the Espada he had not been allowed the luxury of stretching, causing even more damage to his already injured body.

Retsu took the moment where Ichigo was splayed out like a starfish to enter the room. "You have finally decided to rejoin us, good." She spoke calmly, but had to repress her chuckle as the boy floundered upright on the bed, flushing a bit at being caught in such an undignified manner.

"Captain Unohana," He greeted, making her wonder why only Jyuushiro and herself earned his use of their proper titles. "How long was I gone?" He was unsure of himself now, looking down at the white bedspread and clean robe he had been dressed in, refusing to look her in the eye.

Unohana answered him gently, sending a dismissive wave to the seventh seat to give her some privacy with her patient. "Kurosaki, you were held captive for six months, you have been recovering here for five days now."

"Ichigo," He responded blankly, shocked at the length of time, "Call me Ichigo."

"All right Ichigo, now will you allow me to examine you?" She phrased it as a question, but Ichigo didn't have any doubt it would become an order if disobeyed, so he nodded permission.

Feeling her strong, but gentle, power flow over him he allowed himself a sigh of relief, no one had been that gentle in Heuco Mundo. Even Szayel had been forceful as he healed, but a memory popped into his head, Grimmjow had told him it was Szayel that drugged their leaders. Was the pink haired narcissist helping him, or had Grimmjow simply pounced on a golden opportunity?

"Whatever you are thinking of, stop, your power is interfering with my scan." Retsu interrupted his thoughts, causing Ichigo to realize he had been unconsciously releasing his power, weighing the air down heavily.

"Sorry." Ichigo mumbled, struggling to regain a bit of control, "I keep remembering things."

She finished the scan before replying, "That isn't unexpected, you were held for a very long time, and Aizen is known for interfering with the mind more than the body. You are recovering swiftly, a little quicker than I was expecting truthfully, but you will still be weak for a few weeks. The Seki Seki rock used against you left some after affects."

Ichigo figured if he didn't talk a little bit, the memories might just drive him insane, so he spoke, "The memory wasn't of Aizen, but the person he had healing me. His power was rough and overbearing, yours is so much nicer."

Sensing his need, she was a good healer and knew the mind had to heal for the body to be in top shape, she helped him talk, "Who was it healing you?"

"Szayel Aporro Granz, the eighth Espada, and the embodiment of madness," Ichigo responded dully, "He may have helped in my escape, but I'm not sure it was intentional." Ichigo's shame rose back up as he remembered the details of breaking the collar.

Retsu wasn't sure if the time was right, but she didn't know when she would get a chance to speak to him alone again, "Ichigo, I know an Arrancar helped you out of your confinement. The information has been kept quiet to protect you, but I need to know, which one was it? Was it this Szayel who added their power to yours?"

Ichigo closed himself off at the question, only Junichi's presence and Zangetsu's gentle words managed to persuade him that there was no disgust driving the question, only concern. "Why do you need to know?" He hung his head in shame again, and no amount of comfort from his soul companions could make him raise his head.

"All Hollows have slightly different abilities, and I need to know if there is anything I need to check you for after receiving such a large influx of foreign power." She explained patiently.

"No, it wasn't Szayel, he only created the distraction. The one who helped me was the Sixth Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez." Ichigo's voice was so low Retsu could barely hear him.

"He is a feline type, correct?" She didn't want to hurt Ichigo, but the less he locked away, the better in the long run.

Ichigo nodded, "Yes, and he has some potent powers in his released form, but he was in his normal form while helping me."

Unohana nodded, "Your Hollow is also an animal type correct?" She continued to question.

Ichigo tilted his head curiously, "Yes, lizard, but how did you know that?" He knew all the captains were aware he was a Visored, he hadn't known they had been looking into the situation any deeper.

"So far all the Hollows we have come across have a basis in the animal kingdom, I wanted to know if that held true for you," She admitted. Retsu was curious about Visoreds, the healer in her wanting to know all about potential future patients.

"Want me to tell you what I know of Junichi? In repayment for patching me up," Ichigo offered.

She couldn't resist the golden opportunity. "Junichi? Your Hollow has a name?"

Another nod, "He does now, it's a recent development, Visored Hollows are nameless to begin with. I have talked to him so much, and he revealed a few things to me, that I thought he earned the right to a name, just as my Zangetsu has one." Ichigo felt both mentioned parties perk up at hearing their names, Junichi seemed to be laughing, while Zangetsu watched on silently.

"What has he told you?" Retsu prompted.

Ichigo cocked his head, listening to his inner voices, discussing how much to tell, "The most important bit is that Junichi and I are not separate entities, unlike a Zanpakuto that joins with a Shinigami soul, my hollow makes up half of my soul. He is me, just a darker, slightly more vicious version of me." Ichigo explained.

"I suspected as much," She admitted.

"What made you think that?" Ichigo asked incredulously, it had to be slapped into him, literally, before he realized it.

"A Zanpakuto can only suggest and advise actions, it's generally a good idea to listen, but we don't have to obey. Your Hollow can control you, mentally and physically, if you let your guard down. He wouldn't be able to if he didn't already have a piece of your soul to manipulate." Retsu explained her observations.

Ichigo was stopped from replying immediately by Junichi's voice in his head, "She's right. I think I like this one, not many would have noticed that."

Retsu was surprised to hear a low chuckle from Ichigo, "Something funny?"

"Oh, I'm not laughing at you, it's Junichi. He likes you by the way." Ichigo explained before she could get mad at him.

"A Hollow admitted to liking a Soul Reaper?" She didn't seem mad at him, that was good, he never wanted to see her angry.

"Yeah, but he is my Hollow, Junichi was bound to be a little odd." Ichigo smirked at Junichi's string of obscenities following the statement. "Anything else you would like to know?"

"Who is in control when you call your mask?" She hadn't been able to figure that part out.

Ichigo paused a moment, before deciding he might as well answer, "We both are. The mask is a symbol of us working together, when I'm in Shinigami form I am in control, when I go into full Hollow form he is. We can both use Zangetsu, but the feel of our spirit pressure changes depending on which of us is the dominant mind."

"Okay I think that is enough for now," Retsu halted him, "You need to know what has been planned for you."

"What's going on?" Ichigo tensed up again, but he ignored the ache in his muscles in favor of listening to her.

"The Head-Captain has decided to keep you in Soul Society until you recover from the Seki Seki stone, and he wants you to make a full report on your captivity before he will consider sending you back to the living world. During your stay, you have the choice of a few different squads to stay in, all recommended because you already know some members of them. You will train alongside the officers of the squad while Captain Kurotsuchi and I monitor your recovery." She explained Yamamoto's plan.

It took a moment to absorb into him, but he soon nodded, "All right, doesn't seem too bad. Which squads do I have to choose from?"

"Squad 11 with Captain Zaraki, Squad 10 with Captain Hitsugaya, Squad Six with Captain Kuchiki, and Squad 13 with Captain Ukitake," She laid out his choices.

"Well Squad 6 is out, I'm friends with Renji, but Byakuya and I have never gotten along. I don't think I will go to Squad 10, Toushiro still gets mad at me for dropping his title, and he has his hands full dealing with Rangiku. So either Squad 11 with Kenpachi and Ikkaku, or Squad 13 with Captain Ukitake and Rukia," He thought aloud, with Retsu agreeing with his assessment.

"May I make a suggestion?" Retsu inquired.

"Sure," Ichigo allowed.

"Stay with the 13th, and visit the 11th for the occasional spar. I have put a lot of effort into healing you, I'd rather not see you here more than once every couple of days. Also, I think you may find a bit of company at the 13th, if you keep your eyes open." She warned him, knowing she was being vague, but not wanting to state the true reason for sending him to Jyuushiro, "Oh and one more thing, why do you address everyone so familiarly, except for Captain Ukitake and me?"

Ichigo smiled softly, an expression Retsu had never seen on him, "I drop titles on people I'm either friends with, or that I don't think has earned their title. I want my friends to know I am supporting them, not the title they hold, or their family name no matter how prestigious. Those I don't like or respect in any way I will use their last name, make it impersonal and cold, and I will not use the title I don't think should be theirs. For you and Captain Ukitake, I haven't spoken enough with you to be friends, but I respect you enough that I think we could be, so I use your proper title and will wait until I know you a bit more before dropping all formality." He shrugged a bit towards the end.

Retsu was lost on just one thing, "Wait, you said you use the first name of your friends, but last names with those you aren't friends with, than why do you use Byakuya's first name?"

Ichigo sighed, "He isn't a friend, but I do respect him. Byakuya earned the use of his name when he took the hit for Rukia once Aizen's plan unfolded. I realize he probably sees it as rude, but to me I'd rather acknowledge who they are, than get floundered down in titles."

A slightly mischievous smile bloomed on Retsu's place, "Oh he would definitely see that as rudeness. I've known Byakuya since he was a child, he truly isn't that old for a Shinigami, and he was determined to not live in his grandfather's shadow instead he worked towards making a name for himself. He just had one small issue in his younger days, it makes him a bit touchy now."

Ichigo burned with curiosity, Retsu successfully pulling him out of his dark thoughts with the change of subject, "What was the issue?" He wanted to know really bad now that he knew there was something to learn about the cold Kuchiki.

Retsu sent a silent apology to her fellow captain before replying, "When Byakuya was young, he was not handsome, instead he was pretty. I do believe he had several admirers in the academy that, if it weren't for the uniform, may have thought he was female. It made a lot of his classmates underestimate him. He has fought hard to grow out of that image."

Ichigo blinked slowly a few times, before a wide grin split his face, "They thought Byakuya was a girl?"

Retsu nodded, "And even when they found out differently they still treated him like he was delicate, and the appearance of Senbonzakura didn't help. My squad healed no small few of his year mates when he decided to prove them wrong. He had a temper issue in his youth, much like your own."

That brought the smile off Ichigo's face, "Wait he actually showed emotion?"

"Yes, a great deal of it at times, but that story is for him to tell if he feels like it." She had told him enough to embarrass the noble, no need to rub salt in old wounds.

"Captain Unohana, I apologize for the interruption," A worried voice called as frantic knocking sounded on the door to Ichigo's sick room, "Captain Ukitake has collapsed again."

"I must go Ichigo, I will be back once I have him stabilized," Retsu informed, before rushing out to follow her squad member to Jyuushiro.

Ichigo reclined back onto his bed, relaxing into the comfortable mattress, so different from the cold stone floor he had been chained to.

Six months. It had really been that long? Ichigo thought maybe one or two months, but six? Had Aizen truly messed with the days that much, or had he zoned out for longer than he thought? What about his family, were they looking for him? Did Aizen use his dreadful Zanpakuto and wipe their memories clean of him? What about Rukia and the others here in Soul Society, did they know what happened to him?

Retsu had said she kept the details of his escape out of her report. How much had she covered up? He had to make a full report to the Head Captain, would he have to tell about Grimmjow, or could he gloss over that part?

All the questions swirled in Ichigo's mind. It hurt to think about it all. It hurt to wonder what had happened since he left, and what would happen now. His body was sore and aching, the treatment Hanataro and Retsu had administered was wearing off. He flopped on his side and curled up in the fetal position, tucking himself as tightly together as he could manage with his protesting muscles.

He thought he got through the discussion with Retsu all right. He hadn't flipped out on her. Though if he hadn't been so disoriented already, Hanataro's hand on his shoulder may have made him leap out of his skin. He couldn't get the memory of Aizen's touch off his body. The shame rose to engulf him as he remembered those teasing, stroking, possessive touches. He was Aizen's Pet. Nothing but a creature to be shown off and locked in a gilded cage. A passing thought hit him. At least if his shame was discovered, it would bring Aizen down to the same level. The ex-Captain's ministrations brought on his shame in the first place.

Grimmjow was an entirely different matter. With Aizen, each touch had sickened him as much as it aroused. Grimmjow invoked lust, pure and simple, he could claim no coercion or lack of consent against the Arrancar, Ichigo had been willing, even eager towards the end. Grimmjow could have just taken him, and not bothered to explain what was happening, but no he had taken the time, no matter how mocking and demeaning the explanation had been. He had essentially given Ichigo a choice, which was more than Ichigo had expected.

Ichigo reached around to touch the back of his neck, the bite was still there, the amount of spirit pressure forced through it slowed its healing. A shiver ran down Ichigo's spine. That bite had felt good. The first time someone else's power had entwined with his own, joining without trying to overpower. The pain of it had faded into the pleasure and rushing power until it wasn't recognizable as pain. That pain had woken his mind, just as that power had broken him free. It brought him back to feeling human, albeit a damaged human, but not the soulless existence he was rapidly fading into in the later days of his captivity.

In one fluid movement he stretched back out on the bed, ignoring the protest from his muscles. He was done curling up. The scars on his mind and in his heart would be there for awhile to come, but he had his freedom now, and he would not squander his second chance. Dropping of the bed and onto the floor, he stretched himself out properly, the way his father and Urahara had couched into him as he grew older. Grimmjow had told him to get stronger, there was still a chance he could win. He needed to get stronger, and nothing would hold him back from that.

When Retsu returned looking tired and worried, she found her patient on the floor doing sit ups. He didn't hear her open the door, and thus didn't stop his efforts. His eyes were focused on a spot on the wall, not allowing himself to think of anything but the solid repetition of the movement, of squeezing each muscle before steadily allowing it to relax again. He did not move quickly, but the strength in each bunching of muscle and sinew was impossible to miss.

"I do not remember clearing you for training yet Ichigo," She interrupted him as she saw the sheen of sweat on his brow and the pain induced tightness around his eyes, he was in pain but ignoring it in favor of something he deemed more important.

He startled and sprang to his feet so quickly Retsu would have sworn he used flash step, but his power hadn't spiked like it would had he used that technique. He dropped into a fighting stance, hands held steadily in front of him ready to fend off his attacker, before the reality of the intruder broke through his consciousness, "I'm sorry, you startled me." He dropped his hands quickly, his gaze lowering to the floor when he realized he had just threatened the person who had healed him.

Retsu was glad she had practice controlling her reactions, otherwise he might have noticed just how much that move had scared her, no one should be able to move that fast, or have a fight or flight response so incredibly instinctual his body was moving before his mind knew there was a threat. "It's alright Ichigo, I should have knocked. Now tell me why are you out of bed when you weren't given clearance?" Dear Kami this boy was powerful, no wonder Aizen held him like some kind of prize, Ichigo was quite the trophy.

His eyes hardened, and he lifted his gaze to meet her, his serious expression making him look four times his true age, "I need to get stronger. Aizen captured and beat me once, that is never going to happen again. I was given a second chance, I will not waste it."

There was no fire to his words, no passion, and that was more terrifying than the move he had pulled when she drew his attention, this young man was nothing if not passionate about his beliefs. He was pushing himself like this because he thought he was supposed to, not because he wanted to, "Ichigo if you keep going like this you will hurt yourself, you are not healed yet. Six months of seki seki exposure, it has affected you more than you think. Please stop now and heal, return to training when you are healthy." Maybe if he waited that long he would get some of his fire back.

"I can't wait it's too important. I fought and won against Byakuya when I was half-dead from Bankai training. I nearly died fighting Kenpachi. Hell, half of my soul has been trying to devour me from the inside out, or I thought he was any way. I have been fighting when I was supposed to be too weak or injured to move, and I still win. I can't stop now just because of a little fatigue." He argued, not wanting to give up on the one thing he had to keep himself going.

"Ichigo, this isn't good. You keep pushing, and pushing, and you will eventually push your body over the edge and we won't be bale to patch you up again. If you don't believe what I say, than follow me, there is something you need to see." She needed to break through to him, or Ichigo was going to kill himself.

Ichigo was taken aback by her words, but she was leading him out of the room before he could answer, he didn't have much choice but to follow her. He heard rumors about the Fourth Squad captain when she was displeased with something, he didn't really want to confirm the rumors.

A few doors down from his sickroom, Retsu knocked lightly and entered another, waving Ichigo in with her. "Ichigo this is what happens when you push your body beyond its natural ability to heal."

Ichigo looked inside and first all he saw was pink, the pink draped form of Captain Kyouraku was sitting in a chair next to the bed, eyes glued to the slender form on the bed, Ichigo following his gaze to the white haired Captain lying there.

Captain Ukitake had his eyes closed, but he was sweating and paler than death, his breathing was labored and heavy. There was no doubt the man was very, very, ill. "What happened to him?" Ichigo asked quietly, trying to take in the scene.

"Jyuushiro has always had extremely strong spiritual pressure, but even in his academy days his body was never as strong as his spirit." Retsu started to explain, managing to draw some of Shunsui's attention to her as well, "His health was monitored closely, his training strictly controlled. He pushed himself as far as he was allowed, and snuck off to train even more without his professors knowing about it. He was, and still is, a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, but in pushing himself so hard he took ill. An infection set in, affecting his lungs, and no amount of healing Kido could reverse it. We can keep it relatively managed, but we can't get rid of it. To this day if he is stressed, or trains a little too harshly, he can have a relapse of this illness. That is what happened to him today. He starts coughing and cannot stop, he coughs until there is blood coming from his lungs, and when he can no longer breathe correctly he blacks out.

"Your body is weak right now. Aizen had you exercising I know this, but there is more to health than simple exercise. That collar they used on you drained you of vital life force, to the point if you do not let yourself heal you could end up the next person haunting my barracks for an incurable illness. So please, if you want something you can learn than work on controlling your spirit pressure, but wait to jump back into physical training until Captain Kurotsuchi and myself clear you." Retsu knew Jyuushiro didn't mind being a cautionary tale; he did it to his own squad members if he noticed someone pushing themselves too hard.

"Jyuu was always working, he was far more studious than I was, and he never gave himself a break. He worked himself sick, and he knows it." Shunsui had caught on quickly to why Retsu had brought Ichigo here. "If you want to work on Kido, which helps with control, I can recommend someone to help you. Right now if you want to get stronger, do what you can, and when you heal you will be all the tougher for it."

Ichigo took another long look at the man struggling to breathe on the bed, "All right, I'll back off for awhile. I guess I can try some Kido, maybe I can even get one over on Renji." He submitted.

"Ah, Lieutenant Abarai, quite the hot-head, but no Kido is not his strong point." Shunsui chuckled softly, still low key from Jyuushiro's relapse, "The person you want to talk to is Lieutenant Kira of the third squad. He is the Kido expert around here, and he is closer to your age, might make it easier to learn from him."

"I know him," Ichigo admitted, "I'm not real close to him, but I don't think it would hurt to ask."

Shunsui nodded, "He has a lot on his shoulders right now, so it would be good for him to have something to distract himself with."

"He was Ichimaru's Lieutenant right?" Ichigo got his confirmation at Shunsui's nod, "I bet that isn't easy to deal with."

"No, it isn't." Shunsui agreed.

Retsu interrupted him, "Now that you understand us Ichigo, its time to get you back to bed. It will be a few days before I feel comfortable letting you leave my barracks unsupervised. If you are heading to the thirteenth squad when healed you may as well wait for Jyuushiro to come around. He is usually up and around no more than a week after a relapse, so it would match up pretty closely."

"He won't mind that you told me all this, will he?" Ichigo asked, scrunching up his brow in worry.

"No, he would rather we use him as an example, than see someone else make the same mistakes." Shunsui answered the question, reaching out to gently stroke the back of Jyuushiro's hand.

Ichigo nodded, before letting Retsu herd him back to his room. He settled back on the bed. She turned to leave, but before she left, she spoke, "I know it will be hard to hold back, but it is for your own safety, trust us, we will help you get strong for you, and not just to fight Aizen."

Ichigo looked at her intensely, "I have never wanted to be strong just for myself, it has always been for someone else. Do not take that from me, it is all I have left."

"You are more important than your next mission Ichigo. I hope you see that one day. I know you have been thrown into battle after battle, with little preparation, and not much knowledge, but that changes now. You are one of us, we will watch over you. Now try and rest, if you would like I can ask Lieutenant Kira to stop by when he gets a free moment. We are not going to stop you from learning, we are just going to make sure you are safe while you do it." She explained.

"If you could ask him, please do, I would appreciate it," Ichigo acquiesced, he saw the look in her eyes, he wasn't going to win this round, no matter how much he wanted to.

"I will have him here soon, now rest, you will be back on your feet quicker the more rest you get." She ordered, before leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Things were going to get interesting around here, and it was only his first day awake, what would the next couple of weeks bring?


	3. Unbreakable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo picks up a new trick with a little help from a friend

Ichigo wasn't used to people actually doing what they promised they would, six months as the Pet of the Godfather of mind games will do that to you, so when a firm knock came to his door and he allowed them entrance he was a bit shocked to see blonde hair and blue eyes, "Captain Unohana said you wanted to talk to me?" Izuru Kira asked cautiously. He and Ichigo had never spoken much, yet he was the first person Ichigo wanted to speak to since his awakening, he was a bit off balance with the oddity.

Ichigo sat up in bed to talk to him, momentarily distracting Izuru as he noticed how pale the usually tan Ichigo had become, "Yeah I did want to talk to you. My activity is being restricted until I recover, she said if I wanted something to do I should work on controlling my Spirit Pressure. Captain Kyouraku advised I try Kido as a way of doing that, and he gave me your name as the best person to talk to about teaching me Kido."

Well that cleared up a few questions, but Izuru stumbled upon another one, "Why me? Aren't you close with Rukia Kuchiki? She is good at Kido, and you don't know me as well as you do her."

Ichigo looked a bit sheepish at his question, "I thought about that after he mentioned Kido, but I don't think that would be a good idea. We don't have a very good track record with me understanding what she is trying to teach. He suggested you, and I do know you at least a little better than most Soul Reapers, so I thought it couldn't hurt to ask."

Izuru took a moment to consider what Ichigo was saying before replying, "I don't have a lot of time, I am doing both mine and the Captain's duties for my squad, but if you really want my help I guess I can show you a few things. You are probably going to need time to practice what I show you, so we wouldn't be meeting up more than two or three times a week if that's alright with you?" He offered, figuring he could use the break from all the pressure of running the squad teaching Ichigo Kido would give him, it was something he did truly enjoy after all.

"Hey I understand you're busy, I appreciate whatever time you can spend on this with me. I have never tried anything like this before, wait that's wrong I did help power the cannonball thing Kukaku Shiba gave us to break into Soul Society but I wasn't very good at it, but other than that nothing so it will probably take me some time between lessons for me to catch on." Ichigo accepted the time constraints, he didn't think they would need to meet every day, two or three times a week would be enough as long as he kept practicing on the off days. He needed to get stronger, if this was all he was allowed to do until Retsu cleared him for physical training, he would do his best at it.

"You haven't been shown any traditional Kido at all?" Izuru asked incredulously, it was one of the first things gone over at the academy, most students knew the first twenty incantations for both offensive and defensive Kido before they knew their Zanpakuto's name.

"I have seen it used, but teaching me never really came up. I learned Flash Step because I had to, but that is about it. I was too busy keeping myself alive in fights against Captains to learn Kido." Ichigo explained.

Izuru shook himself out of his shook, launching into the first lesson while they were both ready to listen, "No wonder your Spirit Pressure is always spilling everywhere. Kido helps in a lot of different ways in controlling your Spirit Pressure in a fight, and not just for the obvious incantations. You must have noticed the more power you feed your sword the stronger your attacks are, Kido will improve your ability to focus spirit power, in turn strengthening your Zanpakuto." The blonde haired Lieutenant slid into the chair by Ichigo's bed, making himself comfortable for their conversation.

Ichigo hummed in agreement, "Never thought of that but it makes sense. I only have one concern with learning Kido, but I'm not sure if you can answer."

"What's bothering you?" Izuru knew Ichigo was friends with Renji, had the red head scared him away from Kido with his stories of blowing himself up?

Ichigo put a hand to his chest softly, "Do you think my Hollow could interfere? I know a Visored that specializes in Kido, but I never asked if it was the same." Ichigo admitted, Hacchi was excellent at Kido, but Ichigo had no way of knowing if his incantations were the same as the others or not.

Izuru blinked slowly a few times, "I have no idea, you are the only one I know, the others were exiled before I entered the academy."

Ichigo nodded, "It's alright I didn't think you would know, but thought I would ask anyway."

"Captain Unohana probably has the answer, or any of the older Officers," Izuru suggested helpfully.

"They might, or Mr. Hat'n'Clogs." Ichigo mentioned, confusing Izuru.

"Who?" He asked curiously.

"Oh sorry, Kisuke Urahara, I didn't know his name when I first met him so the nickname stuck." Ichigo confessed with a shrug.

"How do you know him?" Izuru asked curiously, that was an incredibly infamous name around Soul Society even long after his banishment.

Ichigo got a small smile on his face at remembering him, "He trained me, well him and my father, but he did the most good for my Shinigami training." Isshin had taught him how to fight with his body, Kisuke had shown him how to use Zangetsu.

"Well that explains how good you were that first trip here, when he was a Captain here I heard he was nearly impossible to beat in a fight." Izuru felt a few more pieces of the puzzle that was Ichigo Kurosaki fall into place.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head in nervous embarrassment at the easily given compliment, "Yeah I figured that out, he nearly killed me trying to get me trained."

Izuru offered him a grin, "Well I can't promise I won't hurt you, if you're anything like Renji the first few attempts could be rather, destructive, to put it politely, but I will show you the Kido I know and hopefully it will work."

"Thank you," Ichigo replied honestly, "Is there anything I can work on now? I'm going to be stuck here for a few days, I will be bored out of my mind with nothing to do."

Izuru thought about it, "Well it wouldn't be a good idea to try any incantations while here, Captain Unohana would skin us alive then make us heal ourselves afterwards if we destroy her barracks or disturb her patients. You can work on gathering your Spirit Pressure together. This is what most of us learn along with Shikai, but with your Zanpakuto as continuous release type, I doubt you have ever had to go through the process am I right?" He paused to get Ichigo's answer.

"No, I haven't, but why would gathering it help me to suppress it? Wouldn't that just make it stronger?" Ichigo was confused, but hoped he wouldn't stay that way for long.

That question right there let Izuru truly understand Ichigo was a complete greenhorn, this would be interesting to see how quickly he picked up on it, "Well for starters, you are not trying to suppress your power, you are trying to control it. The way you are now it is spilling out at all times, in all directions, without any thought on your part. You want to gather it together so it becomes something you command, whether that command is to attack or hide, you still have to gather it first. After all it doesn't do you any good to hide only part of your power while the rest of it keeps flowing unchecked."

"Makes sense, now how do I do it?" Ichigo was ready to move forward, he hadn't done nay true practice during his confinement, it was time to learn something new again.

"I know you have a Bankai, how do you call it?" Izuru asked, not having one himself he wasn't sure if it was the same process as Shikai or not.

"I concentrate on Zangetsu and call his full name," Ichigo responded, hand going to the hilt of the sword resting next to his bed, the 4th squad knew better than to separate the two after being apart for so long in Aizen's clutches.

"Do you realize that by concentrating on your sword that you are already doing some of what I am asking? By doing that, you are directing your energy into the blade to wake it up to its next level of power. You need to do that, but more thoroughly, try to gather all of your Spiritual Pressure and direct it to your hand not your sword. Hold it for a few seconds, then let the power recede, keep doing that until you can hold it for a full minute. I won't teach you an incantation until you can do at least that much, if you can go for longer, even better." Izuru was glad he already had the basics, even if Ichigo hadn't realized that was what he was doing.

Ichigo's brows drew together as he absorbed the method, "I think I can manage that, but can you tell me one more thing before I try?" He asked.

"Go ahead," Izuru allowed.

Ichigo got a slightly humorous look in his eyes despite the half-scowl on his face, "Why does Renji blow himself up?"

"Because he never had the patience to do the exercise I just told you about. He likes to rush into things, fighting instinctually rather than with a plan, not too different from you really. He hides it well, but hiding his Spirit Pressure is about the highest form of control he has, and he isn't that great at sensing others. He has more practice than you, but in raw talent you two are probably dead even. You have the advantage now of having nothing but time to practice this simple skill. Trust me it's worth the boredom." Izuru explained, not bothering to hide his grin at Renji's expense. That first lessen with red flame canon came up in his mind, Renji trying so hard to prove himself that he went too far, lost control, and ended up roasting himself. Izuru did feel a bit bad for the guy after his sides stopped hurting from laughing so much of course.

Ichigo liked Izuru's smile, though he had a feeling the reserved Lieutenant probably didn't indulge in the act very often, "So, why a minute? Is the length of time important?"

The smile faded, but there was still a relaxed look on his face as they got back to the main topic, "Yes and no, there is no magic number or anything like that, but most incantations take some time to say and then you actually have to release it. The more complicated ones can take about a minute to say. Most are less, but if you can do it for a full minute you will be safer and more stable, with predictable results with each incantation."

"Thank you," Ichigo responded, as another knock came to his door.

"Ichigo, you have visitors, can they come in?" Hanataro called inside, the seventh seat didn't sound intimidated, must be someone he knew.

"I need to be heading back to my squad, if you get stuck, feel free to ask more questions," Izuru excused himself as Ichigo called to Hanataro to let the visitors inside.

It was Renji and Rukia, the male lieutenant catching sight of his friend, "Hey Izuru, what are you doing here?" He asked, as Rukia only had eyes for Ichigo's seated form, going over to the teen and hugging him tightly.

"Ichigo wanted help with learning Kido, I had a free moment so I came to see him, but I need to get back now." Izuru replied, as Rukia began berating Ichigo for not letting her know he was okay the moment he woke up.

"See you later then, I had better go pry Rukia off Ichigo's windpipe," Renji answered, letting Izuru leave and heading over to wear the tiny woman was attempting to throttle their friend.

He pulled her away from Ichigo, "You know it's not nice to make your friends need a healer while still recovering from their latest injuries."

"Thank you Renji," Ichigo replied gratefully.

"You wait until they are fully recovered before you do that," He teased, the grin on his face stretching the tattoos around his eyebrows.

Ichigo scowled at him, "Sure, I disappear for months and all you can think about is how quickly you can put me back in here!" He protested, snapping Rukia out of her glaring contest with Renji.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, but you really scared us, we weren't sure if you were coming back. When you were taken all we could think about was whether or not you were alive. Yamamoto had all of us known to be friends with you under watch, or we would have been combing the desert looking for you." She explained, unshed tears in her eyes, making Ichigo pull up short in his irritation. He had never seen that look on her face.

He stood up and pulled her much smaller body into a hug, wrapping his strong arms around her gently, "I'm alive Rukia. I'm not okay yet, but I will be. You know me; it will take more than Aizen to get rid of me." He reassured, noticing the quick flash of jealousy that was quickly quashed in Renji's eyes as he held Rukia. He nodded slightly at the taller Shinigami, he acknowledged the feelings Renji had, but this was about comfort not love.

He pulled out of the hug a little, and wiped the start of tears out from under her eyes, "There is one good thing in all this." He goaded her into curiosity hoping to cheer her up.

"What is it?" She knew he was baiting her, but she took it anyway.

His face softened out of the scowl, "I came to an agreement with my Hollow, so he isn't going to be a problem anymore. Junichi and I are getting along now."

Rukia felt her heart clench at him mentioning his Hollow, it was one of her biggest fears, she had seen Kaien be consumed by a Hollow and now she had to watch as Ichigo fought against the same fate. "Ichigo, are you sure you know what you are doing? He is dangerous."

Ichigo nodded quickly, "Yes to both, I do know what I am doing, and he is incredibly dangerous just not to me. He never was a threat, I simply never saw his actions for what they were."

"And what were they?" Renji asked this, he was concerned for Ichigo too, but didn't have the overwhelming fear that Rukia did, he only knew Kaien in passing.

"He was training me," Ichigo explained, "He knew I would learn quicker if he threatened the one thing I will go to any lengths to protect, my friends. He was right. I learned more from him in a few minutes of fighting than I could have with hours of lessons."

Renji tilted his head in confusion, "If it worked so well, why did he change tactics now?"

Ichigo slumped a bit where he stood, and Renji almost regretted the question until Ichigo started answering, "He had to break through to me. I was ready to give up. I actually told him if he wanted my soul he could take it, maybe without me to hinder him he could break free and live, or at least take out as many captors as he could in the battle that would follow. He didn't take the offer, he told me he didn't need to take what he already had."

Rukia found her voice, a bit shaky, but she was regaining her composure, "What do you mean he already had?"

"Rukia, my Hollow isn't separate, he is me." Ichigo told her, and Renji, quietly.

"Like Zangetsu is?" She paled drastically, but kept soldiering on, hoping the nightmare would end soon.

Ichigo shook his head sadly, "No, deeper than that. Zangetsu is my sword, connected to me and I him, but my Hollow is literally half of me. I know you are thinking of Kaien. Don't, this isn't the same at all. Junichi didn't consume or harm me, instead he joined me. I am still the same as I was the moment I awakened my own power."

"I think maybe we should talk about something else, you are still recovering Ichigo, and we need some time to take it all in." Renji broke in, not wanting this to go any further, both of them were strung out from what little had been said anyway.

"I agree," Ichigo immediately latched onto Renji's suggestion. "I made my choice of where to stay once they let me out of here, I'm going to the thirteenth so I will be near you Rukia and you won't have to worry so much."

"That's good," Rukia replied, still a little stunned from learning the truth about Ichigo and his Hollow.

Renji swooped in to cover up for her awkwardness, "The sixth too hard for ya Ichigo?" He taunted.

Ichigo's scowl returned, "Hey, I'm making your life easier. I respect Byakuya and all, but can you imagine him and I in close quarters for Kami knows how long? I'm probably going to travel around a little during the days any way, all the squads have something different to teach."

"That's a good idea," A new voice interrupted from the doorway, "It doesn't hurt to get a different perspective."

"Captain Kyouraku!" Three shocked voices called at the same time.

Shunsui's eyes widened slightly at the reaction, he must have walked into something intense for all three to startle that badly, "It's so good to know the young Soul Reapers still remember us old timers," He teased to break the tension. "I thought Ichigo might like to know Jyuushiro has woken up and will be better a little sooner than anticipated. You two should be able to leave around the same time."

"My Captain is here?" Rukia asked quickly, "Wait, why does Ichigo know when I didn't, no one told the squad?"

The Captain of the Eighth looked down at the worried Kuchiki, "Yes he is here, he was brought in early this morning. Your hot-headed friend here was pushing himself too far, so Retsu decided an object lesson was needed. As for why your squad wasn't told, you know him well by know, he wouldn't want all of you to fuss over him."

Rukia wrinkled her brow in thought, "Still Sentaro and Kiyone usually say something when he gets sick enough to be brought here."

"They didn't bring him, I did. He was with me when he collapsed." Shunsui explained. "If you want to go see him, do it soon, he will probably be going back to sleep before too much longer."

"Ichigo do you mind?" Rukia was torn, here Ichigo was after missing for so long, but her beloved Captain was recovering too.

"Go see him Rukia, I will still be here when he is asleep," Ichigo shooed her out of the room, making the choice for her. Renji only hesitated for a moment before following her, a quick goodbye thrown over his shoulder.

"How long has Renji been following her around like a puppy?" Ichigo asked the elder Captain curiously.

Kyouraku's rumbling chuckle was unexpected but pleasant, "For as long as I have known the two of them. According to gossip they grew up in the Rukon districts together."

"I wish him luck," Ichigo muttered lowly, before returning to sit on his bed, a wave towards the chair inviting the brunette captain to stay if he wanted to.

Shunsui raised an eyebrow, "Do you really? It looked like you may have harbored feelings for her yourself. Most people would not have done what you did to save a mere acquaintance." Yes he was fishing, but he wouldn't learn anything if he didn't try. Maybe Ichigo would open up to him a little bit, it wasn't like they had a bad history to get over or anything like some of the other Captains.

Ichigo's scowl deepened, "I wish people would stop thinking like that. I saved her because it was the right thing to do, and I never turn my back on someone who has helped me. I like her well enough, but I don't love her or anything like that."

Kyouraku suppressed a smile, so it was like he thought, "I met your large friend on your first visit here, he spoke of you the same way. You invoke great loyalty. I noticed your companion Ryoka were here following you, not Rukia Kuchiki."

"That was Chad, he and I have watched each other's backs for so long we don't know how to stop. I would have followed him just as easily if the situation were reversed. As for Orihime and Uryu, I agree Orihime was here mostly because of me, but she is also kindhearted and a great healer, she wanted to help. Uryu didn't like me much at all back then, he was the Quincy and I was the Shinigami, I think he did it to prove something to himself as much as to help Rukia." Ichigo felt the topic was safe enough, those friends meant more to him than anything short of family.

"The young Quincy, he fought Mayuri didn't he?" Shunsui knew full well he had, but wanted to keep Ichigo talking, so it was safe subjects he picked.

"Yes, and he almost beat him too, Mayrui pulled one of his cheats at the last minute. He dissolved into some kid of green goop before the wound Uryu gave him killed him." Uryu was still bitter about that, and Ichigo thought he had good reason to be.

"To land a blow on him is difficult enough, your friend should take pride in that alone." Shunsui insisted.

That got Ichigo to wondering, "Do the Captains have ranks like the Espada, from strongest to weakest, or are all of you on about the same level?" He asked curiously.

That question surprised Shunsui a little, but he answered that anyway, "Not really, as you said earlier we all have different strengths, so to say who is stronger is difficult. There is a rough order going on age and experience, but with the loss of so many high ranking Officers recently even that loose order has been disrupted."

Ichigo chewed on his lip, knowing he would have to work on breaking the habit again, "Do you mind telling me the order?"

"I don't mind, but why is it important?" Shunsui wanted to know what was going on in that brightly colored head of his.

Ichigo seemed to waver a bit before answering honestly, "I have fought a few of you, and I have fought a few of them. War is coming back and I need to get stronger. If I am going to pick opponents to spar against I need to know who to challenge."

Shunsui relaxed, he could understand that motivation, "If that's what you're after you asked the wrong question."

"Okay, than what's the right one?" Ichigo hoped the eccentric Captain wasn't just teasing him and would eventually give him the answers he wanted.

"Strength isn't as important as skill, you should ask me what the current Captains are good at. Wearing this Haori is more than just a symbol, it means we are the strongest in our Squad, that we have proven this in front of witnesses. You are guaranteed a difficult fight no matter which of us you challenge. If you are looking for a challenging person to spar with, that would push you into learning something new, you need to find the Captain that specializes in the skill you want to practice." Kyouraku explained, not minding teaching when he could see the dawning awareness cross the students face.

Ichigo picked up on lessons quickly, "Oaky, then who is good at what?"

"Where should I start?" Shunsui asked, leaning back and making himself comfortable in the bedside chair, used to spending time in them while watching over Jyuushiro.

"I need to work on control, so start with the Kido based ones and go from there," Ichigo requested, trying not to sound demanding.

Shunsui chuckled again at his eagerness. "Alright, there are four Captains who have Kido specialties, one of which you already fought, Byakuya Kuchiki. After him is Captain Soi Fon, she is the current leader of the black ops, and it is her policy to use her sword as little as possible. Her hand-to-hand and Kido techniques are very good. The third is Retsu, though she doesn't fight often you can not discount her. If she does decide to fight, I doubt if any of the current Captains could beat her one on one. The fourth is Jyuushiro, like you he had long periods of time where physical activity was restricted, his Kido is better than mine, but not quite as good as Retsu."

"Okay, who are the best hand-to-hand?" Ichigo asked that was his fall back, it would be good to see the technique used by the much older and probably more practiced Shinigami.

Shunsui answered patiently, "I already mentioned Soi Fon, but Komamura is also very good at that style. Most of us are at least competent hand-to-hand fighters though."

"I figure all of you are masters with a sword, but who are the best?" He didn't want Zangetsu and Junichi getting bored.

This would be the entertaining one. "That would be Jyuushiro, Retsu, Zaraki, and myself. Though like you said, all of us are above average swordsman. Even Byakuya whose Shikai and Bankai involve little to no actual swordsmanship knows what he is doing if he has to."

"That sounds right, all except for Captain Unohana, is she really that good? I have never seen her fight." He was a bit confused on that.

"It's a good thing you haven't. I mentioned before if she does decide to fight, I'm not sure there is a current Captain who could beat her, and I include myself and Jyuushiro in that." Shunsui admitted.

Ichigo picked up on another oddity, "Why wasn't Toshiro on any of the lists?"

"He is a good fighter, and his Zanpakuto is amazing, but he is still very young. He hasn't specialized yet, so I couldn't tell you what it was if he doesn't have one." He explained, liking the serious young captain, but he wished so many burdens weren't placed on someone so young.

"Sounds like a Challenge for me," Junichi spoke up, managing to startle his King.

Ichigo grumbled internally to him, "Why because he is generalized, and you are mayhem wrapped in a Hollow package?"

"Yes, and because I want to fight too! You and the Old Man can't have all the fun," Junichi protested and Ichigo could feel the Zanpakuto's glare at the comment.

Ichigo replied quickly, seeing as Shunsui was looking at him oddly for spacing out, "You'll get your turn."

He turned to the Captain, "Sorry about that, internal debate."

"It's alright, I often get in arguments with my Zanpakuto, they are quite stubborn sometimes," Shunsui spoke with affection, almost caressing the hilt of the larger blade he carried.

"They?" Ichigo asked curiously, only now getting a good enough look to see that Shunsui carried two blades, not just one.

Shunsui smiled slowly, "You didn't know? I guess that's not really a surprise you haven't been around us much, but Jyuushiro and I both have duel Zanpakuto, though Jyuushiro's only shows up when he goes into Shikai."

"You both have two swords?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Yes, we are the only two, we thought someone else would eventually have a pair but it hasn't happened yet." Shunsui shrugged, it wasn't something to get too worked up about.

"Is it more difficult fighting against a person who wields two blades?" Ichigo figured the obvious answer might not be the right one, better to ask.

"Depends. If the person with the double blades knows what they are doing they are more deadly with two than one, but if they are still learning they can be just as likely to hurt themselves as much as their opponents. Jyuushiro and I are at the level now we are far better with two than one, but that doesn't mean a single blade can't beat us, just means they have to know how to fight us." Shunsui decided to explain fully, Ichigo was eager to learn, and if they kept the oral lessons coming maybe they could keep his restlessness in check long enough for him to heal.

"Could you teach me how to fight against that?" Ichigo asked slowly, he didn't think any of the Espada had double Zanpakuto, but it wouldn't be good to get caught off guard.

Shunsui nodded slowly, "I can, but only if Retsu says you are ready for it. I watched Jyuushiro hurt himself, I won't let you do the same."

"You really care for him don't you?" Ichigo asked softly, he had seen how worried the other Captain had been while Jyuushiro was so sick.

Shunsui took a careful look at Ichigo, looking past the loud hair and heavy muscles, to the hesitant man that had just been put through Hell, and took a chance. "I love him, and he returns the favor. We have to be careful, but that is the truth."

Ichigo felt his heart leap into his throat, the first thing that came spilling out of his mouth wasn't what he thought it would be, "I'm not alone."

"No, you aren't. There are more around than you see, we just have to keep it private. Some things are not for prying eyes to know. It is a dangerous life, but a lot of us feel it is worth the risk."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck where Grimmjow had left his mark on him, "I think I get it." An he did, he found he really did.

"Keep your secrets well Ichigo, but don't hide yourself away either. Its okay to just be you." Shunsui spoke seriously, but if he had anything further to say Ichigo wouldn't hear it until later, because Renji nad Rukia were back.

"He fell back asleep, but he is breathing much better," Rukia reported.

"Well I think I will go back and sit with him a little longer, and leave you three to catch up," And with that Shunsui was gone in a swirl of pink, leaving behind a confused Ichigo to get reacquainted with his friends.

Well that went better than he thought it would. Ichigo hadn't flipped out. Shunsui thought about it as he slid into the chair by Jyuushiro's bed, it really had gone well. Ichigo had opened up a little, the conversation had flowed without awkward pauses, and he had even asked for more training. The boy was still hurting, it didn't take a genius to figure out he would be hurting for awhile to come, but he was strong and he would heal.

Shunsui wanted to see what the boy would be like when he pulled himself out of the ashes this time.


	4. Louder Than Thunder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares are the curse of the strong

"Well my Pet, how are we today?" The voice was soft and calming, the hand stroking down his back was heavy and possessive, total opposites of each other.

He growled at his captor, rushing at him and trying to get his hands around the man's neck, only to be jerked back roughly by the short chain. He felt something rip in his back with the force of the recoil, and gasped harshly at the pain. "Get your hands off me!" He ordered through the stabbing pain, he must have ripped a tendon or tore a muscle with that move.

Aizen stared down at the growling and gasping Visored, "Well now, that wasn't nice." He cuffed his Pet harshly on the back of the head, only to caress his check once his head snapped back up. "I'm being nice to you Pet, shouldn't you be nice to me?"

"Go fuck yourself!" Ichigo defied, working up the courage to spit at Aizen.

The Ex-Captain slowly reached up and wiped the warm saliva off his check, "You shouldn't have done that Pet," He warned softly, "Now you will see what happens to Pets who disobey. Yami!" The last word was a shouted order for the 10th Espada to present himself to Aizen.

The large bodied Hollow plodded up and made an ungainly bow to Aizen, "Yes Lord Aizen?" His voice was putrid and sluggish, not in the least bit pleasing.

"Escort Pet to the training yard, put him through his paces until he can no longer work up the energy to stay upright. Drag him back here when you're done. You still may not Release, but should Pet become a problem you may recruit any Espada rank five or below to assist you. I do not want the others bothered for a minor disciplinary lesson. Understood?" Aizen ordered, knowing despite his ugly body and bad disposition, Yami wasn't stupid, he would fulfill the request unerringly.

"Understood," Yami grunted, approaching Aizen's throne, while the Shinigami reached down and unfastened the chain from his chair, using a key kept around his own neck at all times, even while he slept.

Yami accepted the end of the heavy chain, hauling Ichigo to his feet abruptly, Ichigo's stiffened muscles and wounded back causing him to reel as Yami drug him out of the hall not waiting for him to get his balance. It was a long journey to the Espada's training yard, it had to be further away from the main complex to avoid unnecessary damage to Las Noches, and even then, the top level Espada still had restrictions on releasing their Zanpakuto. Ichigo was stumbling and issuing a string of curses all through the journey, but Yami might as well have been a brick wall for all the response his resistance stirred.

In the middle of the training ground a heavy stone column was buried deeply in the ground, the thin but sturdy pole had a long metal chain wrapped around its' length, and it was to the end of this chain that Yami secured Ichigo's current chain to. It gave him a wider range of movement than the ridiculously short length that had kept him trapped at Aizen's feet, but helped keep the possibility of his escape to an even more infinitesimal prospect than it was before.

Ichigo was not stupid, he knew he would never make it out of a complex filled with ten Espada, various Fraccion, an unknown amount of Numeros Arrancar, and three Captain level Shinigami. Even if he managed to make it out of Las Noches itself there were still the Hollows of the desert and forest to contend with, on top of the problem of he had no clue how to open any kind of portal to get him back to the Living World or Soul Society. He definitely couldn't do it without Zangetsu, or even clothing of any sort. In short, Ichigo was captured, utterly and completely stuck under Aizen's control. Didn't stop him from trying to break the damn chain at night, but that was at 'night' the only point he felt it might be remotely safe to attempt to escape, broad daylight under the sharp gaze of one or more of Aizen's finest warriors was a totally different story.

That's when his Hell started, fighting bare handed against a sword while chained to one point in the yard was not a fair fight to anyone's standards, well with the possible exception of Soi Fon and her black ops, but even they had their limits where they drew their swords. Ichigo wouldn't go down without a fight though, he threw all his strength into battling the Espada. He knew that was exactly what Aizen wanted, but he wanted to get some satisfaction from beating up a member of his army since he didn't have much other means of getting one over on the man who held him captive.

Yami was big, and strong, and his skill with his blade was nothing to sneeze at, but he did have a disadvantage. His body was built for endurance, not speed, but Ichigo had both. Especially with his Hollow rising to fight off the mutual threat like he had during their excursion into Soul Society as a Ryoka. Yami was soon panting and sweating as much as Ichigo was. His sword wasn't doing much good if he couldn't catch the Visored, even with his handicaps Ichigo was still too fast for him.

His anger rising, he felt his power threatening to Release at his frustration, but that would go against Aizen's orders. He had no choice but to act on Aizen's permission to approach another Espada. Wanting to get his revenge on the Visored making a fool out of him, he made a beeline for Nnoitra, the toughest Espada Aizen had allowed him to contact.

The grin on the over grown Mantis could make demons run for the hills.

Fighting two Espada at once while completely unarmed caused Ichigo to use the only weapon left to him, his Hollow. Junichi flew into control, and for the three minutes he had total control Ichigo could take a step back and catch his breath. He paid little attention to his alter ego as he concentrated on searching out Zangetsu and seeing if the blade was alright. He could feel the spirit's presence in his head, but it grew dimmer by the hour.

When Ichigo was eventually dragged back to Aizen he was dazed, bruised, and bloody. With only minor damage to Yami, and absolutely no marks left on Nnoitra, he was definitely the worse off of the day.

Aizen smiled down at him, and stroked his cheek once more, Ichigo could do nothing but glare as he spoke, "That was part one of your punishment Pet, time for part two." Aizen didn't bother explaining, he just acted. Running his hands over every exposed bit of flesh he could find, even the wounds, but avoiding Ichigo's most sensitive of areas.

Ichigo didn't have the strength to resist, just as Aizen wanted, he could do nothing but take it. The hands soon stroking him to a shuddering, shaking, mess. He hated the feeling of the hands on his tortured flesh, but at the same time, they awoke something in him he had buried so deeply he wasn't even sure he wanted to admit it to himself.

Aizen's purred words were like poisoned honey, they were sweet and almost caring, but they had a burn to them that was determined to kill the spark of life that made Ichigo himself, and if lost would turn him into Pet. "See my little Pet, I can be good to you, so good. You would never have to worry, or hunger, or care, or even think ever again. What do you think of that? No more responsibility, you won't have to protect anyone, no one will be counting on you to do anything more than sit at my feet and allow me to take my pleasure. You would be freer than you have ever been if you just submit and let me care for you my Pet." The litany continued over and over and over again. Aizen choosing different words but all had the same meaning. Ichigo should just give up fighting and allow himself to become Aizen's toy.

Ichigo would have protested if he had the strength, instead he was forced to listen. The words kept coming on and on, until they started to distort and fade, causing confusion to wash through his tired mind and body.

A different voice floated into his mind, overriding Aizen's toxic words, "Wake up King!" Junichi commanded sharply.

At the shouted command, Ichigo snapped awake and flung himself upright on his bed, the covers sliding down to pool in his lap, his racing heart and rapid breathing calming slowly as he took in his surroundings. A simple room, with a low futon, a hook for a spare uniform, a small desk with a chair, and Zangetsu propped prominently against the wall just off to the side of his futon, within reaching distance if he found himself attacked in bed. This was the room he had been assigned once he had arrived at Squad Thirteen the day before. There was light shining in through his window, the steel grey color of predawn, which was a comfort in of itself. In Las Noches, it had been either light or dark, no dusk or dawn.

"It was a dream King," Junichi's sudden proclamation brought him that much further back to reality.

Ichigo slumped back down on the bed, wide awake, knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep, "I noticed." He replied, once it hit him that odd feeling he was picking up from his Hollow might just be concern.

Junichi settled against the side of a building, sliding his sopping wet hair off his face, it was still raining in Ichigo's inner world. "You were tempted by Aizen, weren't you King?" The Hollow wondered just how far he could push Ichigo, the King needed to talk about this, keeping everything locked up was rapidly drowning everything on the inside, and neither Junichi nor Zangetsu liked it when it rained.

Ichigo huffed, and thought about refusing to answer, but if he couldn't be honest with Junichi, than he would never find anyone he would be willing to talk to. It wasn't as if the Hollow could go blabbing all their secrets to anyone, at least not without Ichigo knowing about it. "Not at first, I hated the thought of him at first, but it went on for so long. Every time the Espada brought me back half dead to him, he would touch me like that, and whisper those things. After awhile I wondered if, since I had done such a horrible job up to that point of protecting everyone, if I just gave in then maybe the Hell would stop."

"What made you keep fighting him?" Junichi didn't have to ask, he already knew, but he wanted his King to admit it. Ichigo was surprisingly good at denying any part of himself he thought would keep him from protecting those close, if they pushed him away over his secrets he might not be able to get to them in time if they needed help.

Ichigo scowled deeply, not liking the part of himself Junichi was making him bring up, "I couldn't let everyone down. I am supposed to protect them. It is what I do. If I don't who will? I would go through Hell and back for my friends, I have always said that, now I know I wasn't just talking when I said that."

"That isn't everything King, and you know it. We both do. Now admit it, why did you keep fighting him, even when it would have been so much easier to submit?" Junichi was commanding again, he just didn't do gentle, it wasn't in his nature. Junichi was the personification of tough love.

"You are not going to drop this until I say it are you?" Ichigo grumbled.

Junichi felt the lowering of his King's hackles, a good sign he would talk soon, "No, so just say it King."

"I didn't give in to Aizen, because he isn't the one I wanted touching me. There were others there that had they made the same offer, we probably wouldn't be here now." Ichigo ground out roughly.

Junichi gave one last shove, "And if they hadn't been there? Those others that drew your eye?"

"Then we would still be chained at Aizen's feet being petted and abused by his army, I probably would have given in. There you happy now?" Ichigo was almost growling at his albino counter part.

"This wasn't about me King," Junichi protested.

"Oh then what was it for?" Ichigo demanded.

Junichi resisted the urge to sigh, that was a very un-Hollow like thing to do, "Would you have admitted it to yourself if I hadn't made you?"

"No, but why should I?" Ichigo didn't see any problem with keeping his secrets firmly hidden away.

Junichi's suppressed sigh turned into a growl, "Did it ever occur to you that it isn't something to be ashamed about? You found a way to beat Aizen. He worked on you day after day and couldn't break you. He came way too close for my comfort, but he didn't manage it. You do realize something significant that his little games managed to slip past don't you?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Junichi had confused him with the abrupt change of topic.

"His cat and mouse game with you was done purely by his own power, he didn't use his sword. He thought he had us captured for good and wanted you to submit by your own choice. Grimmjow was right; if we get stronger we can beat him." Junichi was shocked he had to point that out, Ichigo was intelligent enough to figure it out, but he gave his King a bit of break since he was very recently traumatized.

Junichi settled back against the building and let Ichigo slip into thought with that statement. He had pushed hard enough for one conversation. He was sure there would be more, the nightmares would not go away with one session, he had no doubt about that, no matter how strong his King was.

Ichigo for his part had a lot to think about, but nothing he wanted to dwell on, it was hard enough admitting the only reason he hadn't given in to Aizen was because several members of the Espada had caught his attention more. Even Szayel with his forceful, yet healing, hands was a higher draw than Aizen. At least Szayel hadn't covered up his opinions with honeyed words. Grimmjow was at the forefront of his thoughts, but that was because the bluenette loved to draw attention to himself, there were others that were just as intriguing only much quieter personality wise.

Shaking his head abruptly to clear his thoughts he cast about for something else to take up the time between now and when he could safely assume someone else would be awake for him to talk to in order to take his mind off things. The exercise Izuru had set for him was something simple, but required a good bit of his attention, so with that in mind, he sat back up in bed sitting cross-legged on the mattress, and let himself fall into a light trance.

He had done this part several times before during his days at the Fourth, he concentrated on the power he felt flowing inside of him, and attempted to corral it all together. When he called his Bankai it was usually during a fight or flight moment, pure adrenaline helped him collect enough power to awaken Zangetsu's next level of power. Doing it without that shot of energy was a slightly different story but he had managed it with practice. He could only hold it for about ten seconds, but that was better than nothing. He kept doing it, gathering it all, holding it on for a few heartbeats, then being forced to let it go. He even counted the number of beats to see if his time was increasing at all.

He probably spent a good hour doing nothing but that, and in the end he increased the time he could hold it to twenty seconds. His skill was rising quickly now that he had the method down. He felt confidant that by the weekend he would be at the minute mark and ready for the next lesson from Izuru.

The sun was still weak, but it was up now. He decided to get up and move around. He had been shown the training yard for the Thirteenth during his tour the day before, and he had gotten a list of approved stretches and a few katas that Retsu would allow him to do in order to keep him in shape until he was healed enough for full workouts again. So with a destination in mind he rose and dressed quickly, swinging Zangetsu into his usual spot on his back, his familiar weight a welcome addition to his person. He had missed the sword. Zangetsu wasn't as talkative as Junichi, but when he had something to say, it was profound and Ichigo learned a lot from just a few choice statements.

He passed an open door on the way to the training arena, and a voice halted him, "Good morning Ichigo, You're up early." Jyuushiro was already up, lounging with a cup of tea and a scroll of some sort.

"Yeah, good morning to you too, I couldn't go back to sleep so I thought I might get a little practice in." Ichigo was a bit off guard at being addressed when he assumed by the quiet that everyone else was either still asleep, or caught up in personal business.

Jyuushiro smiled gently, "Spare a moment for a cup of tea? I like to welcome new members to my squad personally, I'm afraid I didn't get off to a very good start with you." It had bothered him to come back from the Fourth only to be shoved immediately into bed with orders to rest more; Rukia, Sentaro, and Kiyone had given Ichigo his tour.

Ichigo figured it couldn't hurt so he stepped inside the room, "I don't mind, I knew you had been ill." He reassured as Jyuushiro set out another cup and fixed his tea. "Thank you," He said politely as the cup was set in front of him after he sat down.

Jyuushiro got an exasperated look on his face, "Oh I'm always ill these days, if I stopped doing everything the moment I felt a bit off, then nothing would get done."

"Your officers were certainly enthusiastic yesterday, I don't think you have to worry if you're feeling low for a little while." Ichigo didn't know how much the white haired Captain minded talking about his illness, so he did his best not to pry.

He laughed easily, "Those two are nothing if not enthusiastic. They are fully capable of keeping the squad running should something happen to me, but they shouldn't have to. I am still the Captain it should be my duty." He lost a bit of mirth by the end of the statement, but Ichigo didn't think the man could look depressed if he tried, but everyone had their masks.

Something in his words struck a chord in Ichigo, "I'm no Captain, but I understand duty. I made it mine to protect the people around me, and for the last six months, I have failed them. I wasn't there at all. You, even when you are ill, can still be seen and heard. Your experience alone makes you the perfect choice for Captain. Fighting isn't everything, and I have it on very good authority that when you are feeling good you are a force to be reckoned with." He didn't like hearing this man talk like that, Jyuushiro was such a gentle and kind person, he didn't want him to think badly of himself.

A wan smile graced his face, "Thank you, but it is still hard on me. A Captain should take care of their squad, not the other way around."

"I bet they don't think that way at all," Ichigo was quick to protest, "I can see how much they care in how thorough they are in carrying out your orders. I'm willing to bet you have either Sentaro or Kiyone within calling distance right now. Rukia talks about you all the time, and she never had anything bad to say. They want to see you better because this illness is difficult on you, not because they think you can't do your job."

"You sound like Shunsui," Jyuushiro revealed, "He says the same thing, quite often."

Ichigo realized the change of topic was subtle but deliberate, "You should listen to him, he knows what he is saying."

"He usually does," The Captain agreed, "But when did you speak with him to know that? I didn't know the two of you knew each other much at all."

Ichigo shook his head, "We don't know each other well, but I did talk to him a bit while you were sick. Sorry, but Retsu kind of used you as an object lesson."

Jyuushiro didn't look surprised, "Let me guess, you were pushing yourself into training before she cleared you for it?" His voice seemed almost amused with his guess, like he had been expecting it, or it was a common thing for Retsu to do.

"It happens a lot?" Ichigo wasn't sure how to react to that. While using himself in front of his own squad was one thing, did Retsu really do it with complete strangers too?

He nodded, "Yes, unfortunately. Once or twice a year she plops a young Soul Reaper in front of me and scares them into obeying her. I don't mind, I'd rather she do that, than have someone else do what I did." He confirmed what Retsu had claimed the day she brought Ichigo to see him.

"I know why you did it," Ichigo admitted, "I can tell how much you care. You were just trying to get stronger so you could take care of people. I was doing the same thing until she caught me."

"It wasn't all for so noble a reason," Jyuushiro chuckled ruefully, "I was young, and had been gifted with a Zanpakuto so rare there is only one other like it. Of course I wanted to learn to wield them the best I could, and while protecting people grew from that I just plain enjoyed training, and to have to back off because of my weak constitution only made me more frustrated and reckless."

Ichigo looked around furtively, as if he were expecting some sort of attack, "Don't tell Kenpachi, but I enjoy fighting. I use it to help people, I always have since I started learning, but I love it. Fighting is what allows me to do what I like, and I have a vicious side just like any other person, I'm no saint. Ever since I became a Visored, my enjoyment of a good fight has only increased."

"Your secret is safe with me," Jyuushiro agreed, "I'm not surprised you enjoy fighting. With how quickly you have mastered each step, you had to have enjoyed it on some level. A person can excel at something they don't like, but it is much more difficult, and you didn't have that kind of time."

Ichigo nodded along with the assessment, "I didn't have time to think, I only had time to react. If I had to fight myself on top of fighting my opponents I probably would have lost that first fight with Ikkaku. I try not to let a lot of people know about that, because with everyone knowing I have a Hollow, if they knew I liked fighting they might think I am more dangerous than I am. Just because I enjoy it does not mean I am going to let Junichi lose on the general population just to see what would happen."

"But that would be fun!" Junichi protested quickly.

"Quiet you, no mass murder, we will have plenty of tough opponents to fight once I get training, no need to go looking for trouble now." He quickly reined in the enthusiastic Hollow, before Jyuushiro could notice his distraction.

Junichi grumbled but settled, Ichigo catching some of it, "Better be good battles."

"I don't know why they would think that. I can tell from just this conversation you wouldn't do something like that," Jyuushiro broke off Ichigo's internal debate. "Your friends know you better than that Ichigo. You've gone out of your way to protect them time and again, so why can't you trust them?"

Ichigo chewed a bit on his bottom lip, "I haven't been very open with my friends since my mom died. I don't think they know just how much I do care. I know that most of them would be okay with my secrets, we have all been through a lot together, but what happens if I am wrong? If the secret is more than they can handle, and they don't realize how much rejecting me would hurt, what's to stop them from doing it?"

"You seem to be alright talking to me, can't you do the same with them?" Jyuushiro knew they hadn't really said anything that you could figure out from simple observation, but he was curious about how Ichigo was justifying the exchange.

The orange haired youth just shrugged, "I do talk like this every once and awhile. I just don't usually bring myself into a conversation until I think I could do some good by admitting a few things. You are also very easy to talk to, and that helps a lot."

"Well I had planned on light conversation, and some information on the squad in general, but I don't mind the talk we had." Jyuushiro admitted. Their talk really had gotten away from him, so much for a nice welcome into the squad conversation.

"As long as you weren't upset by what we discussed, I wasn't. To be honest I am not that good at small talk. I usually leave that up to my sisters." He confessed easily. He was an act first, don't have time to stop and think let alone talk, kind of person.

"You are welcome to stop by any time for another. I don't turn people away unless I have an absolute emergency to attend to." He offered freely. It got lonely being cooped up in bed all the time, made him feel even more infirm than he really was.

"I will probably take you up on that every once in a while," Ichigo accepted. "Now I think I interrupted some of your work, so I should probably be heading out."

Jyuushiro looked a bit confused before he realized, "Oh this?" He asked, gesturing to the scroll he had been reading. At Ichigo's nod he explained further, "It's not work, this is some poetry Byakuya sent over for me, he does that whenever I am recovering from a bad attack."

"Wow, he does that?" Ichigo realized Byakuya had just raised a few notches in his opinion of the noble.

Jyuushiro's smile was one that melted Ichigo's heart into a puddle of goo, "Oh yes, since he grew up in a noble family, he spent a lot of time with the Captains of the day. I was one of them. I taught him quite a few tricks in his efforts to catch up to Miss Shihouin, who I do believe you are well acquainted with, in return he does small things to help my recovery go more smoothly."

"It's still odd to think of Byakuya when he was a kid, but I am glad there is more to him than the icy noble." Ichigo figured this was safe enough company to voice his thoughts.

"Everyone had the part of themselves they show the world, and the part they try to keep safe from it. Byakuya is no different. Just look at yourself. How much do people really know about you?" Jyuushiro was turning Ichigo's curiosity into a lesson.

"Not a whole lot," Ichigo admitted. "I probably hide more than I show."

"That's perfectly normal." The older man assured.

The conversation moved from there onto much easier topics, and the two of them spent the remaining time before the squad woke up in pleasant companionship. It was enough that Ichigo almost forgot the nightmare that had caused his early morning excursion, and thus his conversation with Jyuushiro.

Almost.

The images haunted him. He could push them away long enough to talk to this person, or move through that kata, but he couldn't rid himself of them entirely. That dream had come from the first week of being under Aizen's control, when he was still spirited enough to fight back bodily instead of just in his mind.

His conversation with Junichi ran through his head too. He knew the Hollow didn't have to ask, he had access to everything his King thought. He had made him say it because he thought Ichigo needed to do it. Why? What possible good could admitting it have? Junichi could have saved him a lot of effort if he had just come out and said he had figured out Aizen hadn't used his sword, so they still had a shot, instead he was lead around by the nose.

What was Junichi's motive?

Finally his King's rampant thoughts became too loud for Junichi to keep quiet. "King stop that! You will learn why I did what I did. Stop chasing your own tail, its not going to help, you'd do more good practicing that Kido of yours, or better yet find an open field to practice our cero."

Ichigo had a feeling that wouldn't be the first time Junichi would be needed to stop the runaway train his thoughts had become. He couldn't do anything about it though, accept scowl, and follow his advice.

Junichi might be a Hollow, but he was his Hollow. He trusted his dark side to know what his light side needed.


	5. Give Me a Sign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tiny steps forward mean a lot

"We should do more to help him," Shunsui was speaking to Jyuushiro, he had come to visit the 13th squad to check up on Ichigo and get a chance to see his lover. Both Captains were currently watching Ichigo move through the gradually increasing list of approved training methods, and they weren't the only ones, a few squad members were scattered around the training yard, observing the new warrior in their midst.

"And what do you suggest?" Jyuushiro agreed with him, and was willing to listen to any good ideas; Ichigo was still pushing himself as far as he was permitted to go. The white haired Captain had little doubt he would start trying to find ways of pushing further.

Shunsui glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, "I think we should hold another meeting."

Jyuushiro frowned a bit, "Are you sure that is wise? It might help Ichigo, but that last one was only a few weeks ago, don't you think we might cause suspicions?"

The pink clad man sighed, "I know it's a risk, but look at him. He is trying to deal with everything on his own, even after I told him about us. He doesn't think there is anyone else here willing to listen about everything, and actually understand. We have people who have been hurt, and who started out ashamed of who they are. If we don't take a few risks I think we are going to lose Ichigo. He has done too much, and been through Hell, all because he was thrown into our war and asked to fight. Because of all that, we shouldn't fail him now."

"I agree," Jyuushiro admitted, "But the others might not. We should take the time to explain a little of what's going on and let them chose for themselves rather than dumping all this on them at once." He was concerned for Ichigo, yes, but the others they had taken under their wings meant something to him too.

"Of course they would have a choice. I am not suggesting we treat Ichigo any different from the others. We have always warned them when a potential new member was going to be joining us, Ichigo should be no different." Shunsui understood his lover's concern, but if they were careful and took the right precautions, this would be the best course of action for everyone.

"How much are we going to tell Ichigo?" Realizing his partner knew what he was doing, Jyuushiro gave in and started planning the conversations they would need to have.

Shunsui took a moment to think about it before he responded, "We need to tell him the truth. If we surprise him too badly he might not be in any condition to listen at all, much less trust us."

"All right, when should we hold the meeting?"

"Probably a week from now, it's going to take a little while to get everyone together. I think we should approach Ichigo as close to the meeting time as possible. It would be bad if he was given enough time to over-think it and back out of coming."

"You really think this will work?"

"I don't know," Shunsui replied unusually seriously, "But it's all we have."

In the training yard below them, Ichigo moved through the steady motions of the next kata, several pairs of eyes following his smooth movements. Unaware of the two worried Captains and their quietly laid plans, he attempted to block everything out, the people, the memories, and the hurt. He had gotten to the point he was attempting to mix his physical training with his Kido. One thing Izuru had told him in their last lesson was he would need to learn to concentrate on pooling his Spiritual Pressure at the same time as he was fighting. Most Kido was battle oriented in one way or another, so while being able to contain his power in the quiet calm of his own room was good enough to learn the basics, to use it in the situation it was meant to be he needed to learn control under duress.

When he had reached his training limit for the day, he exited the practice arena and returned to his room. There wasn't much to do, so he began his Kido training again. Pulling in his Spirit Pressure, holding it for as long as he could, then releasing it. He had gotten to a minute and a half now. Figuring the longer he could hold it the better. Cloaking the power was his next lesson. It was different then holding or using his power, resting somewhere between the two.

The next few days passed the same way. The two older Captains carefully spread the message around to the right people, while Ichigo pushed himself harder and harder in his attempt to escape the past. Retsu was watching him as closely as she could, but with her Captain's duties taking up a good portion of her time, she just knew he would start finding ways to circumvent her orders. He was too much of a hothead not to. She only hoped she would see the spark of determination return to his eyes, it had been snuffed out for far too long already.

Ichigo was only a little surprised when he was summoned to Captain Ukitake's office for another chat, he had enjoyed their early morning discussion the morning after his arrival, so he was looking forward to the next conversation. When he arrived, he was definitely shocked at the appearance of the second man in the room. Shunsui was stretched out in a light dose, his head resting in Jyuushiro's lap, the pale Captain running his hands through wavy brown hair affectionately. Feeling a bit awkward at stumbling on the almost intimate moment, Ichigo spoke unsurely, "You wanted to talk to me?" He hoped he had kept his voice low enough to not wake the sleeping man, if he truly was asleep.

"Yes Ichigo, please come in. Oh, and don't worry, Shunsui isn't sleeping, at least not yet he isn't." Jyuushiro invited him inside, before nudging his partner's head, making warm grey eyes open, and a crooked smile appear on masculine lips.

"Ah, Jyuu, you give all my secrets away," He teased before adjusting his position so he didn't lose the warmth of his love's closeness, but he could see Ichigo too. He never did stand on propriety, and he was too damn comfortable to move just to observe some obscure set of manners that Ichigo himself rarely bothered to use.

Ichigo moved inside, not sure what to expect from the meeting with this curve ball thrown at him. "What did you two want to talk to me about?"

"We have an invitation to extend," Jyuushiro explained, Shunsui nodding in agreement. "Shun and I run a small group compiled of people like us trying to make it work in the higher positions of the Soul Society. Unfortunately, the way things stand now, the closer you are to the Head Captain, the more extensive the punishment for breaking his rules. To combat this, we started to slowly bring together the Officers, Lieutenants, and Captains that either belong to this lifestyle, or are supporters of being able to love freely."

Seeing the still slightly blank look on Ichigo's face, Shunsui clarified, "What he is trying to say is we run a group designed to protect and support those who chose same sex partners. There is a select few in the group who are not homosexual, but want to see the rules changed anyway, usually they have a friend or relative in the group that they are supporting by taking our side."

Ichigo nodded in understanding, but he still had a few questions, "Why are you telling me about it if it is for their protection? Shouldn't it be a secret?"

"Didn't you hear me say we had an invitation? Ichigo we would like it if you joined us for at least one meeting. We know it is a lot to ask, but we truly think it would do you some good. There are people that you could connect with in a way you would probably be afraid to otherwise. It is a place free of judgment and prejudice, or as much as we can reasonably achieve anyway." Jyuushiro reasoned as quickly as he could, wanting to get his point across before Ichigo decided to bolt.

Instead of bolting, he turned beet red, "What makes you think I belong there?" He would have felt better had that not come out sounding so desperate.

Both Captains had amused expressions on their faces at that, at least he reacted predictably to one thing anyway. It was Shunsui who spoke for the both of them, "You know, that is the one question every single person we have approached has asked. If you can tell us honestly that you don't want to come along, that you don't have any idea where we got the crazy idea you might belong with us, we will apologize and not bring it up again. However, I have seen many like you before. You are nervous, and afraid, for good reason a lot of the time. Just try it once. The first meeting only involves those who know we are bringing someone new, and they are willing to take the risk of you knowing their secret in the hope of reaching out and helping someone else the same way they were helped. Once you get through the first meeting, and if you chose to continue coming, you will meet those that are more cautious about revealing themselves."

Ichigo's usual scowl deepened a bit as he thought it over, finally deciding on what he needed to ask to make a choice. "How many people will be at the first meeting?"

"Besides us, nine, made up of seven members and two supporters. Like I said, the number will rise if you like what you find." Shunsui answered him with his smile back in place, those were the kind of questions asked only if he wasn't going to protest the accusation he belonged with them in this.

"Wait you just said it was Officers and above, this is the smaller group, and there is nine? Isn't that number a little high? Especially with the taboo, I would think it would be, I don't know, smaller anyway." Ichigo was caught off guard at the number, expecting maybe four or five, with a few additional ones added on later.

Another amused glance passed between the two companions, "Ichigo, you really aren't alone anymore. It's only seven people out of thirteen squads, think about it, even in the Living World there has been research done that concluded the probable rate of same sex inclinations was one in every ten people. Only ten percent of the population, but ten percent of the Officers means there should be at least one per squad, or two in one to balance out a squad with none. Not enough to challenge the Head Captain directly, but enough if we stand together, we can protect ourselves." Jyuushiro explained gently, his smile stunningly gorgeous even through Ichigo's shock.

Shunsui added, "I have also been thinking about another thing, about the reason so many of us achieved high ranks in the squads. To hide who you are for so long, from everyone who didn't know exactly what to look for, it takes skill and determination. The same two traits that make us good candidates for Officer level positions and above."

Ichigo took another moment to absorb that. "Okay, I think I understand, now when is this meeting?"

"Tonight," Shunsui informed him, "We thought it best to tell you as close as possible, this will be good for you. Giving you a chance to back out would just hurt in the long run."

Jyuushiro pushed him off his lap playfully, the bigger man landing with a thud and a muffled 'ow,' before asking him in an exasperated voice, "What was the point of waiting if you were just going to give him the idea to run anyway?"

"What? He's coming, he wouldn't be asking us this if he wasn't. There isn't any harm in telling him!" Shunsui protested, reclaiming his spot on his love's lap.

Jyuushiro just looked down and shook his head slowly, "I don't know why I put up with you sometimes."

"You know you love me," Shunsui teased, eyes glittering mischievously.

"For some unknown reason, yes," If his smile was gorgeous, it was nothing on the laugh that escaped the Captain at this point.

Ichigo couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips at the exchange between the two, his laugh joining with Jyuushiro's.

"That is something nice to hear," Shunsui muttered to himself, listening to the other two laughing for the first time in ages. That was definitely a sound he wanted to hear more of.

Ichigo sobered up soon after that, "So where is the meeting?"

"We have a few different places in the Rukon districts, we never use the same place twice in a row, since you still have trouble sensing Spiritual Pressure we will be taking you to the first one. Once you get the hang of tracking someone, you can follow on your own if you like. Most of us are suppressing our power for the meetings to reduce the risk of unfriendly people tracking us down during them, but Jyuu and I take turns revealing our locations so members can find us. All you have to do is wait for us to call a meeting and search for one of us, it's easy from that point on." Shunsui answered him.

He nodded in agreement, "All right. Are you two going to find me later, or is there a time I should come meet you here?"

"We will come get you, it would be easier that way," Jyuushiro decided. "Now, would you care for a cup of tea? That wasn't just a front to get you here to ask about this, you should stay with us awhile."

"Sure, I could stay awhile," The Visored accepted, the tenseness he had nearly forgotten about fading from his stance as he relaxed at the topic change. He couldn't help but think the offer sounded good, but there was a lot that had the potential to go wrong with it too. Ichigo knew he was being watched, both because he was still suffering from the aftereffects of the collar, and because the Head Captain didn't really trust him and honestly never really had. There was a chance he could lead exactly the sort of people they didn't want finding them straight to the meeting. He would be risking the others by going. The only reason he considered it at all was the two Captains had made it seem like the others knew there would be a risk and decided to come anyway.

The day passed much the way the previous ones had, but at least Ichigo had more of a distraction than usual to help combat the memories. He was grateful for that. It was getting harder to keep everything locked down, the dreams getting more detailed and frequent, with only Junichi with him to battle the demons in the dark. The Hollow still seemed to be hiding something from him, but he hadn't done anything to harm him, so the albino being still held his trust.

When the time finally came, Jyuushiro collected him from his room, and they headed out of the Barracks together. Once out of earshot of the general squad, the white haired Captain spoke, "We thought it best if only I escorted you. If all we seem to be doing is taking a walk to build our strength back up, there is less chance of us being followed. Shunsui went ahead of us, he will be waiting, and the three of us will be the first to arrive. We think it is easier on new members if they meet the current ones a little at a time, rather than overwhelming you all at once."

"I appreciate that, I'm curious to know who will be there, but I know it wasn't safe to ask that while we talked earlier in case someone happened to be listening in." Ichigo explained.

The gentle man nodded, "We wouldn't have been able to answer had you asked, and it is still not truly safe here either. Better to wait until you meet them in person. Even if someone had been listening in and heard our method of leading members to us, they would still have trouble proving anyone they intercept was heading there. Officers often have business in the districts we set up meetings in, it's a ready made excuse to help head off awkward questions."

The rest of the journey passed in comfortable silence. Ichigo had questions of course, but as Jyuushiro had said, it still wasn't completely safe to talk while out in the open. They had arrived in one of the nicer Rukon districts, the spirits were dressed well and the buildings were neat and orderly. Children clustered on the edge of the streets, locked in various games and contests, some of which Ichigo recognized and others he assumed were popular before his time. Food vendors were dotted among the houses, offering a limited fare for those few spirits with enough power to get hungry.

Jyuushiro lead them confidently into one of the houses, and Shunsui was indeed waiting for them inside. Only he wasn't alone. "So you did decide to come Nanao, it's good to see you," The Captain of the Thirteenth greeted the studious Lieutenant.

"Thank you Captain Ukitake, and yes, my Captain did persuade me that it would be prudent to attend," Nanao replied, before turning towards Ichigo. "You are the first new member we have had in awhile. I don't know you well, but you will be welcome here I am sure, my name is Nanao Ise and I am the Lieutenant of the 8th squad."

Before Ichigo could reply to her, a pink clad arm landed heavily on her shoulder, Shunsui pulling her into a one armed hug, "Yes my little Nanao was harder to convince than you were Ichigo, but she eventually came to see things my way." He teased his far too serious subordinate, only to get wacked over the head with a large book for his trouble.

"Get off me you big oaf, you only had trouble persuading me because I was trying to catch up on the work you decided to wait to the last minute to start on!" She protested, stowing her book back where she got it. Ichigo watched her and decided he needed to get some of those internal pockets sown into his uniform too, it was a handy hiding place.

A quiet snicker broke into the interaction, Jyuushiro not being able to hold it back, "You deserved that one Shun, and you know it."

Shunsui heaved a sigh, and dramatically asked, "Why do I surround myself with such violent people?"

"Did someone say something about violence?" A new voice interrupted, and Ichigo wasn't exactly shocked at this one.

"Hello Yumichika," He greeted, turning to look at the narcissistic fifth seat. "I'd say I was surprised to see you here, but I would be lying."

His flippant reply went a long way towards causing surprise though, "It's not like I try to hide. Where I grew up people hurt you and hate you anyway, might as well be yourself."

"Where did you leave Ikkaku?" Shunsui asked him, and Ichigo realized they were probably all on first name basis in the group, protecting each other like this would be a good way of developing friendships.

Yumichika shook his head in exasperation, "The idiot decided to challenge the Captain again. He knew we had a meeting and did it anyway. He is currently recovering in the barracks. I'd give him at least three days before he's healed up this time."

A smile crossed the brunette's face, "Well that's an improvement from the week he was laid up the last time they fought."

"This is true," Yumichika agreed, "I'd still prefer it if he waited until he actually stood a chance before fighting him. A good fight is one thing, getting massacred is another."

"I happen to know you like watching Ikkaku fight," Shunsui reminded, distracting the Officer from thinking too much on his partner's injuries, it was par for the course with the two Eleventh squad members.

A wry smile, "I'm not going to argue with that."

"Ikkaku get himself in trouble again?" Another familiar voice inserted itself in the conversation, only this one did cause shock.

"Renji?" Ichigo asked incredulously, "You're here too? What about Rukia?"

The red headed Lieutenant had a slight blush on his cheeks at the mention of his childhood friend, but managed to reply, "What about her? I am here as a supporter, these two have been my friends since we were in the academy." He pointed behind himself, and drew Ichigo's attention to the other Lieutenants behind him.

"Nice to see you again Izuru," Ichigo was quick to greet the blonde, before looking at the one with tattoos and short black hair, "You're Shuuhei right?"

"Yeah, Shuuhei Hisagi, Lieutenant of the 9th," Shuuhei introduced himself. "I know a bit about you from Renji and Izuru, its good you decided to show up. We need some new people to liven things up again."

"Ichigo is definitely good at livening things up," Renji assured, interrupting without care, "Look at what he managed the first time he was here."

"I agree with Shuuhei Ichigo," Izuru decided to ignore Renji and side stepped the red head, "It's good to see you. I'm a little surprised, but glad all the same."

Ichigo treated his Kido tutor to a rare smile, "Thanks Izuru, and I'm glad someone was surprised at least. I was beginning to think I was being too obvious with all the people finding out lately."

Nanao spoke up with that, "Don't feel bad Ichigo, it's not that you're bad at hiding, it's just my Captain and Captain Ukitake are good at seeing. They found all of us too."

"We have a lot of practice at knowing where to look for signs, it helps we have another set of eyes helping us too." Jyuushiro informed them conspiratorially.

Ichigo was genuinely curious about that, "Who is your helper?"

"Why don't you turn around and look?" Shunsui responded for his love.

Ichigo did as instructed and saw another group of three heading inside the building, all three from the same squad. "I should have known your third set of eyes was Captain Unohana." He admitted ruefully seeing the sedate Captain leading the trio.

"You're looking well Ichigo. Let's hope this helps you heal even more," Retsu greeted easily, her soft voice as calming as ever.

Ichigo's tone was appreciative as he responded, "I have you to thank for patching me up. I don't know where this will lead, but so far, I'm not regretting coming." He turned to the other two, one an old friend, the other he was just getting to know during all his recent visits to the fourth. "Hanataro, Isane, its nice to see you again."

"Good to see you too Ichigo," The tall woman responded first, she was a kindhearted Shinigami with a presence almost as relaxing as her Captain. "I hope you like it here."

"With all the people I am seeing, I don't know why I wouldn't," He responded to her, before Hanataro walked over to him. He shifted around a little where he stood, nervous about saying what was on his mind, so Ichigo gave him a little push, "What's wrong Hanataro? You know you don't have to be nervous around me."

When he did speak, it was almost too soft to hear, "I already knew about you Ichigo," He admitted before wincing a bit as Ichigo tensed. He pressed on though now that he had started talking. "I thought about saying something to you, but you didn't seem to want anyone knowing. I wanted to invite you to one of these meetings myself, but you were in the living world so I doubted you could make it."

"How did you know?" Ichigo asked carefully keeping his tone even. He wasn't mad at Hanataro, but he was still anxious about people knowing about him before he chose to tell them.

A shy smile, "It takes one to know one. You have to know where to look for signs, and I wasn't completely sure. I was only positive I was right when this meeting was called."

"I should get used to people finding out shouldn't I?" Ichigo asked rhetorically, unintentionally causing a few people to need to suppress laughter.

A few minutes of talking passed before the last member of the group arrived, "Sorry about my lateness, I had an issue to resolve with my squad."

"Glad you could make it Soi Fon," Jyuushiro greeted warmly, the tiny woman was amusing to him with the way she could be so cold and formal one minute, and acting almost childlike the next.

"Lady Yoruichi would be mad at me if I didn't try to help Ichigo. She wouldn't come out of hiding to teach just anybody. I thought I would see for myself what was so special." Soi Fon admitted, and if her tone was a bit petulant at the end, it only increased Jyuushiro's smile.

Ichigo spoke to her cautiously, "I don't know what's special about me, but I am grateful to Yoruichi for her help."

That was apparently the right thing to say, because Soi Fon almost instantly relaxed, and a far way look came into her eyes as she remembered her mentor. Ichigo much preferred this docile version of the potentially volatile Captain.

The rest of the meeting went by smoothly, the time flying quickly as Ichigo learned about the members of the group. He was familiar with quite a few of them previously, but it was nice to see them all so relaxed in this atmosphere of safety. They showed him a bit of their true selves, and he slowly but surely returned the favor. It was a nice way of spending an evening, and by the end of the meeting he willing agreed to attend the next one.

This time both Jyuushiro and Shunsui walked with him back to the 13th Barracks. The two Captains had an advantage over some of the younger ones in the group that their public friendship had lasted so long it wasn't odd for them to be seen together at odd times. They had to be careful with just how affectionate they were in public, but they could steel more time together than most could.

Ichigo wished them good night and split off from them to go to his own room. He stretched out on his futon, hands crossed behind his head, one knee drawn up, the other leg stretched haphazardly off the side of the low mat. Ever since his confinement he couldn't bear to curl up, at least not while awake.

He was slowly coming to terms with the shocks of the day. He wasn't alone. There were others like him in Soul Society, hidden in the background yes, but still there. It was a cold comfort, but he would take what he could get. At least the others had someone to stand by them during hard times, even if it was unconventional at times.

His thoughts were brought to a halt by a tentative knock on his door. Raising his head up a bit, he waited until whoever it was knocked again. Once they did, he pulled himself to his feet, and crossed over to answer the knocking. "Oh, Izuru, it's you. What's going on?" Ichigo was momentarily startled at facing his Kido tutor when they hadn't planned a lesson, and so soon after the meeting too.

"Ichigo, may I speak with you?" His voice was much firmer than his body language suggested it would be, and Ichigo found himself stepping back and beckoning him into the room. A small worried frown was on his face, something was wrong with the Lieutenant, he knew him well enough by now to tell that much.

"Yeah you can talk to me, you know you don't need to be so formal," He invited, sliding down to sit on the edge of his futon, while Izuru took the chair by his desk.

Izuru looked at him through his concealing bangs, "Sorry, old habit. I tend to go overboard on formality if I'm nervous, Renji likes to tease me about it." He confessed.

Ichigo nodded in agreement, "What did you want to talk to me about? You shouldn't have anything to be nervous about after everything that's happened tonight." The hesitancy returned to the blond, he appeared to be trying to get himself in order, but failing miserably. Must be something serious, "Hey Izuru, just ask, if it comes out wrong I won't get mad, it looks like something pretty serious."

Izuru forced himself to bite the bullet and speak, "I wanted to ask you about my Captain." He spoke swiftly, before his nerve could fail him.

"Ichimaru?" Ichigo had tensed at the question, but he would hear out what the other had to say.

"Yes." Izuru admitted, "He and I, well we had an, um, agreement I guess you could say. When he left I was stunned, and confused, and hurt. I need to know, while you were there. Did he hurt you? Was I so very wrong to trust him?" Once he started speaking he couldn't stop.

Ichigo took a few deep breaths to steady himself, while he thought back, wanting to be honest. "No, he didn't put a hand on me. He followed all orders Aizen gave, but never hurt me if he could avoid it." He finally replied after several minutes of tense silence.

Izuru let out the breath he had unconsciously been holding, "So there is still some hope," He whispered to himself.

"You and he, that agreement you mentioned, were you two lovers?" Ichigo couldn't stop himself from asking, and seeing Izuru's reluctant nod, he realized just how much pain the other was probably in. "Do you need someone to talk to?" Ichigo offered quietly, not sure he was the best choice, but at least he was there.

"Are you sure you want me to? He is one of the ones… well I don't want to hurt you." Izuru cut himself off before mentioning Gin had been one of the ones holding him captive.

"I know what he has done, but I didn't know him before Aizen started causing trouble. Tell me your side of things, I will listen." Ichigo figured if he didn't get the other to talk soon, he would only suppress all of that pain again, and that wasn't good for anyone.

Izuru started talking slowly, but gained speed as he pressed forward. "I grew up hearing stories about the captains and lieutenants, you can't avoid that in Soul Society. Gin Ichimaru was Aizen's lieutenant during this time, and through my early years at the academy. That's all he was to me, a story, well until a certain event happened.

"One time, my class went on a mock Hollow raid, a supposedly controlled battle between us and very weak Hollows that the higher level students at the academy watched over. The younger students were split into groups, I got paired with Renji and Momo. Shuuhei was one of the older student's monitoring the operation. When the barrier the upper level was maintaining broke down, a group of Hollows converged on us. Shuuhei and his team sent all of us younger students back to Soul Society, but my group didn't listen. Shuuhei's team was in trouble, remember they were still students themselves, so Renji. Momo, and I stayed with them to help.

"Working together we managed to hold off the Hollows for a bit, but there were too many, and it wasn't looking good. We thought we were done for, until Aizen and Gin showed up. They saved us from the Hollows. Momo had already been drawn to Aizen from the start, but that just added to her obsession. Me, I was more concerned with the silver haired Lieutenant at his side.

"Gin became a Captain not long after that, and I worked diligently to become his Lieutenant. I thought he would pick Rangiku for sure, but he didn't, she went with Captain Hitsugaya, and Gin chose me."

"When did you get together?" Ichigo asked as he heard Izuru losing steam, not sure how to proceed.

"I had been attracted to him from the start, but I hid it for obvious reasons. Then a bunch of us went out and had a little too much sake, I couldn't make it back to my quarters alone, but instead of stumbling back with Renji or Shuuhei I found myself led out of the bar by my Captain. When we got back to my room, he was helping me undress, and I guess I lost it for a moment, because I kissed him. I thought he would run me through with Shinsou, but he just pulled me closer and kissed me back." Izuru had a faint blush at the last part. "It was so odd between us at first, the same hands that would force me bleeding to the ground in the training yard, would hold me tight and not let go at night. I miss being in his arms, I don't know why he left, but more importantly I don't know why he left without letting me know. I might have gone with him, not because of Aizen, but because of him." Izuru admitted the last part quietly, never having said it out loud before. "I don't think everything happened the way we saw it, there are too many pieces that don't fit."

"Do you trust him?" Ichigo asked seriously, not letting Izuru look away. "Do you honestly think he may not really be on Aizen's side?"

"Yes, I trust him, he could have killed Rangiku on that hill, or Momo before that, or even Captain Hitsugaya. He is strong enough if he wanted us dead we would be. I think he fought us so Aizen wouldn't, Gin hurt us so Aizen wouldn't kill us." Izuru answered as honestly as he could, the discrepancies bugging him ever since the escape.

"I wouldn't have stayed sane in that place if I didn't have at least a little hope. Don't get yours so high he hurts you again, but if you truly think he is up to something, than maybe he didn't bring you with him because he didn't want you in Aizen's path if something went wrong." Ichigo couldn't honestly say much about Gin one way or another, Tousen had been the one to punish him if Aizen ordered it, Gin didn't hurt him unless it was out on the training arena and couldn't be avoided.

"Instincts are usually right, if he truly believes this, than it is worth looking into." Junichi advised at hearing Ichigo's thoughts on the matter.

The Visored responded quickly, "I agree, but we don't know if he is deceiving himself because he loved him or if it really is the truth."

"You can only deceive yourself so far. He has a point about Gin fighting so Aizen might not. I said worth looking into, not believe without proof," His Hollow reprimanded sharply.

"All right already, I said I agreed. No need to get all huffy with me," Ichigo responded.

Junichi snorted in disbelief, "I am your Hollow, I don't need a reason to get huffy, you certainly don't."

Ichigo didn't bother to respond, he knew if he did, he would only regret it.


	6. Lost in the Echo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories are stronger than iron.

Ichigo was in a now familiar examining room at the Fourth Division. Both Retsu and Kurotsuchi were in the room making sure his healing was progressing well.

"I still say I should be allowed to run more invasive tests, he is an untapped research potential," The lion masked clown mumbled under his breath as the female healer overlooked his work like a hawk.

Her eyes narrowed at the barely heard comment, "No. I don't care what you think, this man has been through too much already. I will not let you subject him to Kami knows how many painful and invasive tests that you no doubt have planned out for him."

"I don't want to be his Guinea pig either." Ichigo felt he should speak up, they were talking about him after all.

Junichi chimed in, "Keep that creep far away from us."

"It would be best to avoid him as much as possible," Even Zangetsu disliked Mayuri.

Oh well, the man seriously weirded Ichigo out, and he had just spent six months as a captive watching many different forms of Arrancar come and go. That Mayuri could still make his skin crawl was enough of a warning to avoid the Captain of the Twelfth.

Kurotsuchi scowled at the Fourth squad Captain, ignoring Ichigo's protest entirely. "It would be for the good of others. How am I supposed to know how to defeat, or heal for that matter, another of his type if I do not research him?" The words might have been noble, but the tone left no doubt that if Ichigo were to submit to this, it would not be pleasant.

"You are not coming near me without plenty of witnesses if I have any say in the matter." Ichigo broke in again, before Retsu could answer.

"If you don't think you can heal a Visored than you shouldn't be here, I can care for him myself." Retsu challenged quietly, knowing Mayuri would back down, he would not miss this opportunity for any reason.

He seemed torn before finally grounding out, "That won't be necessary. Let's just finish this already."

Retsu nodded and turned back to Ichigo to complete her scan of his Spirit Pressure. "Well Ichigo, it looks like your power has stabilized, I don't feel any spikes or dips, and that is a very good sign. I can tell you have been practicing your Kido, your Spirit Pressure is much smoother than it was, excellent work. Your muscles have recovered well from the strain they were put under. I am going to clear you to begin training with the Officers in Squad 13 for now, but I suggest waiting to challenge Captain Zaraki or anyone above Third seat for a little while longer. Give yourself time to work back up to fighting on that level. Captain Kurotsuchi, what are your findings on the remaining presence of Seki Seki?"

Still smarting from his earlier chastisement, he replied a bit grudgingly, "There is very little presence left. What is there should be able to be worked out of his system by training. There is still a potential for blackouts if he pushes too hard, but if the Officers overseeing his training are aware of the problem they can keep an eye on him." With that said he didn't bother to excuse himself, he just left the healing room, his agitation still obvious.

"With people as crazy as him wandering around it's no wonder Aizen went under the radar for so long." Ichigo finally said after a few moments of silence had passed following the Captain's exit.

Retsu shook her head slightly, "He is useful, and has made dozens of advancements in technology since he was made Captain. He was originally part of the Maggot's Nest, if it weren't for Captain Urahara he would probably still be there."

Ichigo knew what the Maggot's Nest was, Aizen had mentioned it, and it was the Soul Reaper's prison, the difference between here and the Living World was you did not need a conviction. The potential to do wrong could put you in there as quickly as actually committing a crime. "Was Kurotsuchi ever convicted of anything?" He asked quietly, not sure if he would be answered, but he had to try.

"No, he was placed there due to his highly dangerous Zanpakuto and his unstable psychological evaluation. The combination of factors prompted his imprisoning in a private cell, fortunately for him his odd brand of genius was discovered and he was released." Retsu explained, in no rush to kick the Visored out of her barracks. She had cleared him physically, it was his mental stability she was still trying to assess.

Ichigo thought about it for a few moments, "When do you get evaluated like that?"

"At several points through the training process," She patiently informed, "The first is when you enter the Academy, the next is when you reach Shikai and can call on a higher level of power, after that is when you progress to Lieutenant, and again before you receive your Captain haori. At any time a Captain or other high ranking Officer can request evaluations for squad members that concern them."

His eyes narrowed, "Why wasn't this ever done to me?" It wasn't like he wanted to be a lab rat, but it seemed they gave him the Substitute position without following the steps normally taken.

"We did watch over you during your first excursion here, and the battles that followed, but we never sat down and gave you a formal evaluation because we didn't believe it necessary. Do you remember the badge you were given? That was both identification, and a tracking device, we could follow your movements and make sure you were staying out of trouble. It was how we discovered you had been taken to Heuco Mundo against your will." She explained.

Ichigo didn't seem shocked, "With all I have seen, I would be more surprised if you didn't have a way of following me. I was powerful, and wasn't trained by the Seireitei, of course you were going to keep an eye on me. You were just protecting what was yours. The only thing I can't understand is, if you knew I didn't go willingly, why was I left to rot there?" Junichi and Zangetsu were interested in that answer too.

"You won't like this," Retsu admitted, "Do you really want to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't, I know information can hurt, so I only ask questions when it matters." He insisted.

"One person is not enough to force the actions of the Soul Society. The Head Captain will not approve a mission that incredibly dangerous for a Substitute Soul Reaper. The reason you weren't searched for is because you were taken alone, and Aizen knew it." She confided in him. She hoped anger would help the fire come back, since time and thinking hadn't seemed to help much.

"I was collateral damage," Ichigo realized, "Yamamoto knew I was putting myself in danger to fight against Aizen and when that danger brought me into harm's way it was better to leave me there than to risk more important people."

"Stop that Ichigo. It wasn't that you weren't important, you have one of the strongest Spiritual cores I have ever sensed, and I am the second oldest Shinigami in the Soul Society. Even if it had been one of our Captains, like Kyouraku or Soi Fon, we still wouldn't have been allowed to follow. The needs of the many outweigh the few when you are in command of the military. You have no idea just how many of us were relieved when you were found alive. Many of us owe you some kind of debt, and a rare few count themselves as your friend, we didn't want to lose that." His mode of thought was dangerous and self-destructive. He did need to know the truth, but she wouldn't let his inner demons get the best of him, she would force him to see reason if she had to.

Ignoring the admittance of her age, Ichigo struck the core of her statement, "I wasn't just thrown away?"

"No, of course not," She impressed sharply. "You have seen things no one else should have, survived more than anyone could expect, and you are healing faster than even I thought you would. Think about it as logically as you can. You were held in the heart of Las Noches, in Aizen's meeting hall to be exact, we would have needed all the squads to break you out, and we would have lost many lives doing it. We were not, and we still are not, prepared for a direct assault on Aizen and his Espada. It just wasn't possible, especially when we had no way of knowing if you were alive or dead once the badge was removed."

"So my Hollow had nothing to do with the decision to leave me behind?" It was the last question he could stand hearing the answer to for now, his two companions were bolstering his strength as it was.

"No, you were different than the first Visoreds, you were controlled, and wanted nothing more than to protect others. The decision to execute the original ones was met with much opposition, and was made out of fear and misunderstanding. You proved us wrong, and if the originals attempted to return, they would probably have a place here again. We are missing a few Captains and Lieutenants right now." Retsu wanted to plant the idea in his head, Ichigo would likely be back in the Living World at some point, if anyone could bridge the gap to the lost ones, it was him.

He considered it, before a thought came to him, "You know, it isn't just the Visoreds that may need a place. There are several Espada working against Aizen, that's how I was able to get free. If they came of their own free will to fight with us, do you think they would be protected?"

That certainly wasn't a question she was expecting, and she wasn't sure how to answer it. "There would be a lot of conditions, it would depend on which Espada, and if they have killed any Soul Reapers since joining Aizen. If they have a clean record, and are willing to submit to a power limiter like we put on high level Shinigami in the Living World, it might be worth a try."

"I only know two by name, Grimmjow and Szayel, Grimmjow has caused trouble under Aizen's orders but hasn't killed anyone as far as I know. He hurt Rukia pretty badly, but she killed one of his Fraccion first. Szayel has never been sent on a mission in the Living World to come against a Soul Reaper, he is their researcher, and if we were able to entice him to our side we would have a lot of information Aizen probably doesn't want us to have. There are others, Grimmjow did mention that, but he didn't say who it was." Ichigo hadn't been completely out of it in Las Noches, especially the early weeks when he still fought with everything he had. He had come up against all the Espada at least once in the training yard under Aizen's orders, some fought him harder than others, and he hadn't seen the resurrection of the top four, but he had a general idea of their skill and rank.

She seemed uncertain for a few moments before making a decision, "I can take this idea to the Head Captain, he might listen to me, or he might not. The final decision is up to him. The more you can find out about the Espada that might be willing to fight with us the better. In your down time try to write down everything you can remember about each of them, I know you have to make a full report, but make a separate listing for this too. Whether we end up fighting with them or against them, knowing as much as we can will only help."

He looked a little embarrassed with that, "Ah, about that, I meant to ask you, how detailed does the report need to be? I know I need to say how I got out but can I just say Grimmjow assisted and leave it at that?"

"I'm sorry Ichigo, but if you left it at that, conclusions would be drawn. They know the means of your escape, they just don't know if it was forced or not. You might want to go into more detail if you want to keep yourself out of trouble." Retsu advised.

A little more embarrassment, "So you're saying I should lie?"

"I didn't say that exactly," She hedged; she couldn't be caught telling him something that direct. "I'm saying use your judgment."

He caught on to what she meant, "I'll take that into consideration. Now do you inform Jyuushiro that I'm cleared, or can I do that myself?"

"I will submit a formal report to him, but you can go to him directly if you want to start training quicker, he can spot a lie a mile away he will know you are telling him the truth." She explained.

"Thank you," He responded sincerely, getting off the examining table and pulling Zangetsu back into place across his back.

That reminded Retsu of a question she had, "Oh, I meant to ask you, how does your Zanpakuto react to your Hollow? You said you can both use him, but is it the same amount of control?"

"Honestly? Junichi can use Zangetsu better than I can, we have the same amount of control, but they have been locked together in my mind so long they don't have much to do but learn about each other. Zangetsu is much more serious than Junichi, but they get along most of the time." Ichigo informed her. Junichi was slowly showing him the things Zangetsu had taught him, but they had been constrained with his lack of practice time, that could change now.

"So it is equal control, I thought so," She admitted, "I'm not surprised he has the greater knowledge though, you were thrown into battle before you got much of a chance to train, you will probably progress quickly now that you have more time."

"I was thinking the same thing," He confessed.

"All right, that was all for today, go talk to Jyuushiro, I know you are itching to get on the practice field." Retsu dismissed him with a small smile.

He nodded in goodbye and left her alone, knowing she would have a patient again in a few moments; the Fourth division was always busy. He walked the familiar path back to the Thirteenth barracks quickly, he was beyond ready to get back into shape. Now he had even more motivation.

They had left him there. He had believed maybe they couldn't find him, but no, they knew exactly where he was. Retsu's explanation of why he was left made sense. Ichigo was a protector, he didn't want anyone to die on his account, but it pushed him further. He knew it wasn't a fluke, if he was captured again he would be left again, he needed to be strong enough to break himself out.

His thoughts swirled around until he made it back to his temporary home, and he found Jyuushiro observing the progress of the newer squad members as they practiced in the arena. He looked healthier today than he had been, and Ichigo felt his restless energy drain away at his peaceful expression.

"Welcome back Ichigo, did you get good news?" Jyuushiro asked as the Visored drew near, taking a spot next to him at the railing.

"Yes, Retsu has cleared me to begin training with the Officers, I am not supposed to challenge anyone over Third seat for awhile, and she specifically warned against Kenpachi. At least until I work back up to that level." Ichigo dutifully informed, remembering Retsu warning that he could easily spot a lie.

He laughed softly, unintentionally making Ichigo's knees go a bit weak, "Yes, she wouldn't want you to waste all the effort she put in to heal you. Captain Zaraki is a good fighter, and a surprisingly good Captain, but his methods are a bit harsh for someone recovering from a trauma."

"It's the Eleventh, isn't someone always recovering from a trauma?" Ichigo teased.

"You have a point," Jyuushiro admitted, "But his squad members don't mind. He knows exactly how to motivate those kinds of fighters. There is a reason each Captain is a little different from the others, it's because there are many types of Shinigami. To have as many reach their full potential as possible, we need a variety of teaching methods."

"I noticed that, and I have heard from Renji and a few others that a lot of the older Soul Reapers have spent time in a couple different squads." Ichigo observed.

The Captain nodded, "Yes, it is recommended that anyone aiming for an Officers position join a few different squads. In addition, if a Seated Officer notices a Squad member that doesn't quite fit they can recommend a transfer to a Squad better suited to that person. We do try to keep people happy here, there is no resigning, when you join the Gotei Thirteen it's for life."

"That seems a lot to push on somebody, once you join you can never get out? What happens if you don't want to do it anymore?" He was almost morbidly curious about that, Soul Society had odd rules and they were enforced harshly, he was a tad frightened of what punishment could come from wanting to quit.

"If the person is lucky, they can be transferred to a research or cataloging position in the Twelfth squad or the Department of Records. There is no fighting, and minimal physical requirements. This is typically what happens to Soul Reapers who have been injured or frightened on missions and still want to help, but don't want to be active in the field. If they don't want to help at all, or pose a potential risk, they are kept confined to the Maggot's Nest." Jyuushiro informed a bit sadly, he wished there was another way, but they couldn't risk such dangerous people lose in the Rukon, who knows what kind of riots they could start?

"You don't seem happy with that?" Ichigo question quietly, reading between the lines of his sadness.

A look of regret crossed his face, "I'm not, but it is for the best. The rules are harsh for a reason, we live long lives, and have powers that pose a real danger to the souls here. If someone bitter or angry towards the thirteen squads is left to roam the Rukon, they have a lot of time to stir up trouble and unrest. The more people we have to use to suppress riots is that many less we can use for our true purpose of ferrying souls from the Living World to here. If we slowed in our progress with that, the rate of Hollowfication would increase and we would have more monsters loose endangering living humans."

"Do they at least go back into the Maggot's nest every once and awhile and reevaluate the people there? Maybe they change their minds." Just because there was a reason for it didn't mean it was the right thing to do.

"Not usually, it happens sometimes if a prisoner is discovered to have some kind of useful talent, but they are watched closely after their release." No point in lying, the truth was always better than a lie.

Ichigo shook his head sharply, "All these policies, they have logical explanations, but I think they need updating. People change, situations too, why don't the rules change to reflect that? Rukia was almost killed just for lending me power to save my family. She didn't know I would drain her nearly completely, or that someone would interfere with her healing and not let her recover her powers. She made the best decision she could, and did her best to kick me into gear to take over her spot. Yet she still was set to be executed."

"We worked against that order, very few agreed with the need to execute her, but remember at the time we didn't have all the information. All we knew was she had given her power to a human, revealed who we were, and was unable to carry out her duties herself. That is a crime. However, it isn't usually punished by death, and that was the reason so many of us fought. Notice she is alive today, if the rules weren't adaptable she would still have been executed regardless of Aizen's actions." Jyuushiro pointed out.

Ichigo thought about it for a few minutes, letting his gaze fall to the practicing Soul Reapers as he did so. "If things can change with enough force, there is a vague idea I've had that Retsu has agreed to take to the Head Captain, do you think it could work?" He carefully outlined the idea of bringing the Visoreds and rogue Espada over to their side. Jyuushiro knew Yamamoto almost as well as Retsu, he would have a good idea if it would work or not.

He didn't respond immediately, weighing the pros and cons in his head. "If it was just the Head Captain, I doubt it would work, he is set in his ways because they have worked for so long. If he decided to ask the rest of the Captains though I think at least half of us would agree to give it a try, so he may allow it with severe restrictions on their abilities while here. He does tolerate your presence after all, and it isn't like you haven't caused trouble for us along the way," He reminded teasingly. "Don't get your hopes too high, but it is a solid idea that just might work. We can use all the help we can get and Retsu is right, we still are not ready for a direct attack on Aizen. Stealing some of his support, especially a researcher, might even the field."

"I don't think it will even it as much as we hope, Aizen created these Arrancar, there is nothing stopping him from creating more to take the place of the missing ones. We will at least have more information, and well trained warriors, but any new Espada will be unknowns to us unless we manage to get a spy on the inside." Ichigo pointed out, he knew there were flaws in his basic plan, but he really felt it would be worth it to try.

"I'm glad you can see it that way," Jyuushiro approved, "A lot of people your age would jump into any plan head first and not think about the consequences. Of course the missing Espada would be replaced, but they won't be as well trained or hopefully as powerful as the originals."

"Grimmjow lost his position before, when he lost his arm, he was replaced with Luppi. Orihime healed him and Grimmjow was able to kill Luppi easily to get his spot back." Ichigo remembered.

"How did you get Aizen to release her? I thought he would keep both of you when you went missing too." Jyuushiro hadn't been able to figure that out.

"I replaced her," Ichigo replied darkly, "Aizen had a purpose for her, and she had already finished it by the time I showed up to rescue her. My sword and badge were taken as soon as I was caught, but I was able to make a deal with Aizen. I would stay, if he let Orihime go, but I had to be part of the group that took her back so I knew it was done. Do you understand now? I agreed to stay with Aizen. I hated him for what he has done, but I hate myself more for making a deal with him."

"You fought him; Retsu found so much damage there could be no mistake you tried to break free. Why did you fight if you stayed willingly?" He was trying to make sense of it, Ichigo wasn't lying, but there was more to the story.

"I told him I would stay, I never said I wouldn't try to escape, and I didn't know that my staying would mean being chained naked to his chair the whole damn time." The dark look had only gotten stronger in Ichigo's eyes, "Orihime was his captive too, but she was well cared for compared to most prisoners, she even had a personal bodyguard in Ulquiorra. He wanted her cooperation, from me he wanted submission."

"Were you tempted?" Jyuushiro asked quietly, knowing this was the most Ichigo had spoken about his captivity, and it was a good idea to keep him talking so he could work through the pain.

"You've seen him, of course I was, Junichi already forced me to face that. I was tempted alright, but Aizen wasn't the strongest temptation. I scared myself while I was there. If he had allowed me some freedom, and I had been allowed to get closer to the Espada, well my decision might have been a lot different." Ichigo felt comfortable talking to Jyuushiro, he was calm and actually listened to what he had to say, gently encouraging him to go on when he stumbled.

The elder Shinigami put a hand over Ichigo's on the railing they were leaning against, "Listen you were gone for six months, we have no doubt Aizen played game after game with you, I am telling you right now. It is okay if you were tempted by him. He is charismatic and alluring, he always has been. Power draws to power, and both of you are extremely powerful, the fact that you resisted him enough to be tempted by others while in his clutches shows just how strong your spirit is. Temptation is not a crime, we are all tempted by the forbidden every once and awhile, it is giving into that temptation that can be wrong."

The soothing voice of Zangetsu echoed the Captain, "Listen to him Ichigo, he is right."

"Yeah King, what do you think I have been trying to get you to realize? If you won't listen to me, listen to him and the Old Man." Junichi couldn't stay silent either.

"Thanks Zangetsu, and Junichi if that was what you meant, why didn't you just say it?" Ichigo asked in frustration.

"Because he didn't know how to say it," Zangetsu actually replied, overwhelming the spluttering Hollow, "The Captain knew how to phrase it so you would understand, Junichi didn't, he tried to show you when he couldn't find a way of telling you."

"If you knew what he was trying, why didn't you say something?" Having two voices in his head might just drive him insane, if he wasn't already.

Zangetsu seemed to chuckle, and oddity in itself, "Would you have listened? You weren't ready to hear it, you needed to work through a few things first. Now are you going to believe us and start moving forward again?"

"Yes, sorry it took me so long to come back around guys." Ichigo apologized.

Junichi had to have the last word, "It's too bad we aren't allowed to challenge Kenpachi I want to fight him this time, last time it was mostly Zangetsu."

"Oh yeah, speaking of that, if you are a part of me, then how come that first fight you were a part of Zangetsu?" The Hollow had reminded him of the oddity.

"Jeez King, do I have to spell it out for you? We are both a part of Zangetsu, it's not as if he is just floating around in your mind, he is connected to our soul. When I first got here I was still disoriented and unsure of where I was, and it was Zangetsu who introduced me to everything. We agreed you would learn quicker if he was the soft guide, and I pushed you as harshly as I could manage, and at the time speed was the most important part of our training." Junichi was impatient, but at least he did explain it.

"You two ganged up on me?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes," They both replied without shame, causing Ichigo to laugh softly, catching Jyuushiro's attention.

"So what did your alter egos have to say?" Ichigo had been around long enough for him to notice when he was simply thinking, or if he was talking to his Zanpakuto and Hollow.

"They agree with you, and think I should get to training again. Junichi is disappointed we can't fight Kenpachi yet, last time it was mostly Zangetsu." Ichigo relayed, the others still listening curiously to the exchange with the Captain.

"Just because you are not supposed to fight him, doesn't mean there aren't other good opponents. Look out on that field. If you went down there and sparred with them, you could teach them a lot, and maybe learn a thing or two yourself. If I am recovering from a bout of illness I join in these training sessions rather than with my more powerful squad members. We can both get something out of it if I do that. I like getting a fresh perspective on fighting, and these young ones can give me that." Jyuushiro offered, pointing out the beginner squad members, some of which hadn't even progressed to Shikai yet.

Ichigo knew better than to deny it, he remembered his first lesson with Kisuke, Ururu had nearly killed him with a single punch and she was just a little girl. "If I went down and joined them, would you come too?"

"I don't see why not, I'm feeling good today," Jyuushiro agreed, and when the two of them walked into the arena you could see the looks of devotion and awe the members showered on Jyuushiro, they honestly adored their Captain.

Even Ichigo received more than a few curious stare, and one man, not much older than Ichigo himself approached. "I have never seen a continuous release Zanpakuto, can we see it?" He requested curiously, staring at the sword as long as Ichigo himself.

The Visored reached over his shoulder, and drew his blade, the thrill of the familiar weight in his hand not diminished from the firs time he had called the blade's name. "This is Zangetsu, you can look at him if you want, or you could spar with me, your choice?" Ichigo offered, feeling both his sword and Hollow's approval at the move.

"You would really fight me? I didn't think I was close to your level?" The young Soul Reaper was hopeful but contained, thinking Ichigo had only offered so he wouldn't be rude not out of any desire to actually fight him.

"So? I was trained by someone a lot stronger than I was, you won't get any better if you only fight people on your level; you have to aim higher. Come on and spar with me, I won't hurt you, you might even win, I'm a little rusty," Ichigo enticed, he liked this guy, and everything he said was true. Kisuke had taught him when they were miles apart, and instead of dragging Kisuke down, it had raised Ichigo up.

Jyuushiro was swamped with questions and requests for advice, but he kept an eye on Ichigo when he could. To his surprise there was a small smile on the Visoreds face as he sparred, that first opponent opening the flood gates for others to come. Ichigo was a good teacher, he pushed them just a little harder than they were comfortable, and he saw progress being made from almost all of his opponents.

The thing that really made Jyuushiro smile was the fire, it was back in Ichigo's eyes, as painful as their talk had been it had woken something up in Ichigo. That was the best thing to come from the day, even the news of his physical recovery wasn't as reassuring as that tiny spark in his warm brown eyes.


	7. I Want to Come Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes things have to give.

Breathe. In. Out. In and back out again. Move, twist, slice, thrust, and then breathe again, before landing for a heartbeat and springing into the next motion fluidly. A nightmare had woken him again, and now Ichigo was refusing to let himself think. It was just Zangetsu and him.

He moved and twisted through the katas he had been shown, the ones he could do without an opponent. He wasn't in Bankai, he wanted the weight of his Shikai, the feeling of wielding a sword as long as him to overcome the memories of confinement and temptation. Sweat was soaking into the fabric of his Shihakusho so he threw off the constricting cloth, continuing in his hakama; chest bare; muscles revealed in the pale early morning light.

Ichigo didn't notice the second person enter the arena until the sound of metal ringing against metal echoed through the training yard. Looking up he found the sedate Captain of the Thirteenth with his Zanpakuto drawn, not in Shikai, "Ichigo, fight me, not your demons." Ukitake ordered, his blade halting Zangetsu's slash.

"I don't want to hurt you," Ichigo protested, shocked he hadn't felt or seen the other man approach, and a little embarrassed at being caught so off kilter.

A soft look of understanding, not pity, but compassion, "You are not going to hurt me, I'm feeling fine today. You need to release your pain, I can help you, let me." Gentle encouragement and a nudge of their still joined swords accompanied his words.

The nudge had Ichigo moving again. Time after time his strikes were blocked, his thrusts parried, Jyuushiro not releasing Sougyo no Kotowari, he didn't need to. It's not that Ichigo wasn't good, or that the younger warrior was not trying, but Ukitake was just that much better. A thousand years of practice had to count for something, and like he had warned in the beginning, he was feeling good that day.

The Visored began to worry less and less about hurting the older Shinigami, and began to concentrate on figuring out a way to at least make him show his Shikai. Even if he couldn't leave a mark on the Captain, he wanted to see what happened when this powerful Soul Reaper called out his double blades.

Jyuushiro had to hide his smile when he noticed the altered tactics. Ichigo was no longer dwelling on whatever memory had locked him in turmoil, focusing on him instead, that was exactly his intention in calling him out to spar. The intense look in Ichigo's eyes, the determination in his stance, he was a picture of speed and agility as he moved. There was delight on Jyuushiro's part in watching Ichigo fight, in coming up against him and seeing what he could do. Oh, he had heard the tales, and seen some of it for himself as this young man fought his way through increasingly difficult opponents to save Rukia Kuchiki, but hearing about his astounding learning curve and experiencing it were two different things.

The Captain found himself moving more gracefully and fluidly than he had in years. The talent and skill of his opponent bringing out his own, Ichigo pushing him to use more of his own ability, and it felt so good to feel like this once more. His lungs not screaming in protest, body not crying out for more rest, he truly did not feel ill in this moment, a rarity he intended to use to its fullest.

Ichigo was using Tensa Zangetsu before he got what he was looking for. In one long breath, Jyuushiro started to recite his release command, the longest one Ichigo had ever heard. "All of the waves become my shield, all of the lightning become my sword! Sougyo no Kotowari!"

Jyuushiro's Zanpakuto was oddly beautiful; two blades connected together, charms hung from the connecting ribbon, the purpose of which Ichigo didn't know. The actual blades were two pronged, like something used to conduct electricity. Going off the shape and the words used in the release command, Ichigo didn't know exactly what he was dealing with, but he didn't want to risk flinging power around wildly to find out. Chances were good this sword could manipulate energy somehow, the questions he needed to answer were how, and could Jyuushiro produce energy or only manipulate his opponent's?

The Captain saw his opponent measuring him up, evaluating the appearance of his Shikai, "What are you seeing Ichigo? This can be a good lesson for you, and I don't really feel like replacing half my squad barracks showing you the hard way."

There was wisdom in the suggestion, and he was growing tired from being out for so long already, so Ichigo answered, "You manipulate energy."

"You figured that out already?" Jyuushiro was impressed, usually someone had to attack him first.

Ichigo gestured to Jyuushiro's Zanpakuto with the tip of Tensa, "The way your sword looks, the blades, they may seem fancy in a fight, but they are more useful for conducting electricity or energy. Also I have fought enough Shinigami to know the wording in a release command is important, yours mentions lightning being your sword, meaning that is your attack."

"Very good, most people who fight me don't pick up on that so quickly, they usually have to attack first." Jyuushiro complimented.

Ichigo shook his head in frustration, "There is too much I don't know. I have no idea how you do it, whether you reflect our attacks back like Nel did, or if you can create your own."

A little grin, "It's a bit of both." He informed. "I do turn my opponent's attacks against them, but it is not a reflection. I control the speed, and the rate at which it returns to them. I can amplify an attack but I usually don't, if I am to the point of true fighting, than my opponent is not holding back and their attack is at full strength. I shouldn't waste my own strength amplifying their attack when it's not needed, I can endure longer that way. That's how I can keep fighting even if my illness does decide to act up at an inopportune time."

"If you can control when it returns, then you have the element of surprise, even just a seconds difference between each return would throw off an opponent." Ichigo analyzed.

"Right," Jyuushiro agreed, "That is the power of Sougyo no Kotowari. Well, the most obvious power anyway. Shunsui's Katen Kyoukotsu has much flashier tricks, but we often trained together when we were younger. I distract while he gets in position for an attack, it works well when coming against multiple opponents. He is definitely the quicker out of the two of us to release Bankai, but we have about equal destructive power when we do."

Ichigo took another good look at his sword, "Is your Bankai like Byakuya's, a more elaborate version of Shikai? Or more like mine, where there really isn't much alike between my Shikai and my Bankai?"

He was asking very good questions, proving his intelligence, and natural ability to learn quickly. "My Shikai manipulates my opponent's offensive energy, my Bankai manipulates all energy around me, pulling from friend and foe alike, whether they are fighting or not. Sougyo no Kotowari is a storm Zanpakuto, an elemental based sword more like Toushiro's Hyourinmaru, which I think you know is an ice Zanpakuto, than Byakuya's Senbonzakura that is wind based. This means in Bankai, I don't have to wait for my opponent to attack, and I am not constrained by how strongly I am willing to amplify my opponent's attack. My strongest attack is actually fairly simple in execution I first make the skies open with rain, then I call the lightning, and most people know water and electricity do not mix."

"If you wanted to, you could just call lightning couldn't you?" Ichigo asked, eyes narrowed in thought.

"Yes." Ukitake admitted shortly.

"…That would be incredibly intimidating." Ichigo was picturing this beautiful man, surrounded by wind blown white hair, lightning forking through the sky around him. Oh yeah, intimating definitely, but that wasn't the only word he could think of to describe it. Arousing would be the other. Very, very, arousing; Ichigo was suddenly thankful for the loose hakama instead of his Living World jeans.

Jyuushiro was not born yesterday, and while Ichigo might be good at hiding his straying eyes and thoughts from human high school students, he was no match for someone as practiced as the gentle Captain was at seeing. "There are plenty of others that say the same about you, but rarely does anyone think me intimidating. They respect me, because of my age and position, but I don't truly intimidate them." They had by now long stopped any pretense at all of fighting, and Jyuushiro was carefully leading Ichigo out of the training yard and towards his office, they could talk more privately there. Sentaro or Kiyone were usually within shouting distance yes, but they were respectful enough to be far away enough he could hold a conversation without being overheard.

"I think you could be intimidating," Ichigo murmured, before realizing exactly what Jyuushiro had just said. "Wait, people say that about me? Often enough you've heard them?"

He couldn't help himself, the soft spoken Captain had to laugh, throwing his head back smoothly, "Of course they do. Ichigo how many people do you think can just walk into the Seireitei and start cutting through the Captains? You fought and won against Kenpachi Zaraki, no easy task I assure you. You eventually managed to defeat Byakuya, despite being unable to achieve the same feat only days prior to that meeting. Not to mention the Lieutenants you brought down without touching your Zanpakuto, including Yamamoto's own, and between you and me, he is on the same level as a Captain he just prefers staying with the First Squad. You caught him by surprise, but you still brought him down quickly, another opponent that would be hard for any rookie Shinigami to defeat. Yes Ichigo, many Soul Reapers here consider you intimidating, and they make no moves to hide their thoughts."

Ichigo sunk to the floor of Ukitake's office across from the Captain in shock. "I never thought of it like that," He confessed after pulling his scattered thoughts together.

"I didn't think you had." Jyuushiro assured, "You definitely made an impression though. You fought well against me today. It felt like when Shunsui and I were younger, I haven't been able to let loose like that in a long time, many are too nervous to simply let go and spar."

"You told me to," Ichigo responded with a shrug, "I didn't disobey Kisuke when he told me to attack, I wasn't going to do any different with you. I admit I was worried at first, but I listen when someone tells me they can handle it. I know I hate it when people don't listen to me because of something I can't control."

Jyuushiro went silent for a moment, a measuring gaze passing between them, "You would, wouldn't you?" He commented softly. "People often underestimate or misunderstand you don't they?"

A hand passed through his hair, messing up bright orange locks even more than usual, "All the time. I admitted to you before that I enjoy fighting, and I do, but that isn't the only reason I am so good at it. I get into a lot of fights, usually more than one person against me, and until I met Chad I fought them alone. It was either fight, or let myself get hurt, and I wasn't about to let that happen. Especially when I realized the stronger I became, the better I could protect others."

The older man watched Ichigo as he talked, taking in the strong form, the easy grace, and tanned body; he still hadn't put his Shihakusho back on, draping it over his arm instead. Jyuushiro's gaze was drawn to his face, the way he was so expressive in his eyes, the warm brown showing everything Ichigo was feeling. His mouth, jaw, and brows were nearly always in a slight frown or scowl as he thought or remembered something, betraying just how much he had been through.

"Protecting others is a very noble goal, something that should be attempted by all, but I have to wonder how much you have ever simply taken care of yourself as well?" Jyuushiro found himself asking, not even realizing he was going to say the words until they were already spoken.

A short, almost derisive, laugh, "I'm honestly not sure how to do that anymore." He confessed. "My dad and sisters need me to be strong, and my friends need me to have their backs. I mean I thought I was doing an okay job taking care of myself, but Retsu kept yelling at me about taking better care of myself, so I guess I must not have been."

"She is quite good at making those she cares about take better care of their health, yes." Jyuushiro was speaking from experience there. "So much should not be pushed on one person though."

"It's nothing I can't handle." He had managed this long, he could keep going for awhile longer.

A raised eyebrow, "I didn't say you couldn't handle it Ichigo, I said you shouldn't have to, there is a large difference. There are many times in life we are pushed into dealing with something that while we can endure it, we should not have to."

"It's my turn to say you would know, wouldn't you?" Ichigo noted, "Your illness. You should not have to endure that, there is no doubt you can and have managed it for far longer than most could have, but you should never have had to deal with it."

"You are the first besides Shunsui to ever say that to me." The point blank way Jyuushiro spoke made Ichigo's heart clench for him. "Oh sure there are many that have wished me better, but none that have said I shouldn't have had to endure it at all."

Before he could stop himself, Ichigo reached out and brushed a bit of white hair out of the Captain's face, "Well you shouldn't have to!" He stated forcibly, his protective side coming out.

That was until he noticed what he had just done. He looked from his hand, to Jyuushiro, and back to his hand. Not letting Jyuushiro speak or react, Ichigo bolted. He could not believe he had just done that. Yes, this was a man that knew his secret, but he was taken damn it! He could not let himself do this. Not with him, not now, and not ever, Shunsui and Jyuushiro loved each other; a blind man could see it when they were in the same room with their guards down.

Ichigo put all his strength and power into his Flash Step, every trick Yoruichi had ever shown him or even mentioned he used now. He needed to escape, to run, to not look back.

"King! Hey, King! Calm the fuck down!" Junichi's voice eventually got through to him in his frazzled state of mind somewhere in the outer Rukon districts, he was almost out of the populated areas of Soul Society.

It took him a moment, and a few stumbled steps, to collect himself enough to respond. "I just screwed up big."

"It might not be as bad as you think, he wasn't screaming at you, or slashing at you with his sword." Junichi pointed out. "You only touched his face a little, it ain't like you kissed him."

"…I wanted to." Ichigo admitted to his Hollow, still trying to leave people behind, looking for a place to get away from everyone.

If Ichigo wasn't mistaken, he got the distinct impression his Hollow just face-palmed. "He told you himself temptation isn't a crime. It's okay to want to, the point is you didn't."

"I really, really, wanted to." His cheeks were burning up as he finally came across what he was looking for, an open field he could drop into and let himself think for awhile.

"Do I need to point out the lack of screaming and pointy objects again?" Was it just Ichigo, or was his Hollow amused with all this?

He shook his head sharply, vaguely wondering if Junichi would feel or sense the movement, "He is Shunsui's. They love each other, and have for centuries; I will not come between them."

"Now isn't that a thought…" Junichi was being cruel to his King, but it was for his own good.

Ichigo was admittedly lost, "Look, there is no way in Hell I am going to try to split them apart. For one it wouldn't work, and for two I respect them both too damn much to try."

"Who said anything about splitting them apart?" Junichi teased. "I happen to like your suggestion of between them just fine. A thousand years of practice, they must know what they are doing King."

"Junichi!" Ichigo was shocked, and beet red from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.

"Yes King?" The sarcasm was sharper than Zangetsu, "You can't say you haven't thought about it. I see your dreams King. They aren't ALL nightmares. Jyuushiro has been in them since he gave us the badge, nice choice by the way, I approve. Shunsui is a little more recent, not until he came to see us in the recovery room, but you like him too. You might be blind to the way people look at us, but I am not, and trust me Jyuushiro was looking."

Ichigo huffed and tried to ignore him, until the second voice in his head decided to join the conversation, his deep voice soothing in counterpoint to Junichi's mocking. "Ichigo, he may have a point." Zangetsu intoned. "You need healing, a deeper healing than we can provide, or that can be done by the hands of a doctor. He was concerned about you, to the point of asking a question he was unaware of, you could see in his manner he surprised himself. He is strong, but gentle, a traditionally submissive soul. His partner is the dominant side, the one to care for the both of you if you let them. You know they would, the signs have been there all along."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ichigo replied stubbornly.

Both Zanpakuto and Hollow had to suppress their reactions, one wanted to sigh, the other growl. Zangetsu answered for the both of them. "Yes you do. These men have done nothing but help lift you from the shadows of your pain and memories, helping you face the turmoil. Without them you may still be lost in Aizen's hold, freed in body, locked away in mind. They care for you, very much so. Junichi is right, you were being watched today, in a way not entirely friendly."

Ichigo wasn't sure he wanted to let himself believe it, "Really?"

"Yes King!" Junichi broke out. "I saw him checking you out. He liked what he was seeing too. We aren't exactly hard on the eyes King, and he was laying on the compliments about our strength and abilities. They might have been second hand, but he could have kept them to himself like everyone else has."

"What about Shunsui?" It was Jyuushiro himself, which Junichi had pointed out, that mentioned temptation wasn't a crime but giving into it could be. Even if Junichi had seen something, that didn't mean anything would come of it.

"One down, and one to go." Junichi wasn't real concerned. "I don't think we have much to worry about. I think he likes us. He's at least curious about us, so we could use that to get to know him better, relationships have been built on a lot less."

The words brought Ichigo up a little short. "I think that actually made sense."

"Geeze King, you sound so shocked, have a little faith in me. I am a reflection of you. You aren't exactly stupid, it makes sense I wouldn't be either." Junichi pointed out.

Zangetsu had one more thing to add, "The two of you are the night, and the day, when one fades the other shines brighter. If you join your lights together there is nothing you cannot conquer."

Neither Ichigo or Junichi could respond to the Zanpakuto though, because there was someone else coming into the field. He had progressed enough to sense when a powerful Shinigami was near, but not quite far enough to tell who, so he was forced to open his eyes.

All the blood drained out of his face, because the subjects of his thoughts were standing near him, both of them.

"Ichigo, I think we need to talk," Jyuushiro told him calmly, coming over to sit near where Ichigo was scrambling upright, Shunsui following and settling beside Jyuushiro.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done what I did. It won't happen again." Ichigo was quick to apologize, bowing his head down.

He was honestly shocked to hear laughter from Jyuushiro, and chuckling from Shunsui. "What are you apologizing for? Comforting me? That isn't exactly something you should be sorry for." Jyuushiro objected.

"Jyuu told me what happened, it's alright." Shunsui assured the nervous young man, "We aren't mad at you, neither one of us, but we do want to talk to you about it. This is a good place to do it, when you decide to run, you don't make it easy to follow."

"I needed a place to think," Ichigo admitted.

"Thinking too much can get you in just as much trouble as thinking too little," Jyuushiro warned, "Just like this morning when you tried to escape your demons by fighting them. You can't fight something that isn't solid, and now you can't run from a wrong you didn't commit."

"A wrong I very much wanted to," He mumbled it so lowly he wasn't sure any of the two men in front of him would hear, but Shunsui did.

"Can't blame you, my Jyuushiro doesn't know how wonderful he is, though I do tell him often. I think he believes I'm just sucking up to him." Shunsui was using his teasing tone, but he was being serious about both of them.

Jyuushiro hit his shoulder playfully, Shunsui rubbing the abused limb, "You behave, he isn't used to us yet."

"He won't get used to us if we don't relax around him," Shunsui defended himself.

"I am relaxed, it's him that's more tense than a rabbit being chased by a fox." Jyuushiro pointed out.

Ichigo was just trying to follow the exchange, but he felt he was failing miserably. He was missing something important, but he couldn't figure out what it was, and for once his alter egos were staying silent. What a wonderful time for them to leave him high and dry. It was when Ukitake made the rabbit comment that Ichigo realized he was right, every muscle in his body was coiled tightly like he was about to bolt again, and he hadn't noticed until it was pointed out to him.

"I just…Really have no idea what to do." Ichigo finally admitted.

Both older men smiled at him, Shunsui taking the lead, "That is a good place to start in truth. Saying you have no idea what to do, means there is something to be done, even if you need help finding out what that is. There is no shame in needing help, some things are naturally confusing, especially in these situations."

Ichigo ducked again, "These situations?" He asked a bit weakly.

"You are confused and unsure, a little afraid probably, and you don't know how we are going to react to you. Am I right?" Jyuushiro responded gently.

Not trusting his voice, Ichigo nodded.

"The biggest concern I would have if I were in your shoes, since we are already aware of your situation, is that Jyuu and I are already together." Shunsui added his analysis. "Having a crush on someone available, but straight, is one thing; a taken man is another."

"I would never do anything, or even think I could, ever break the two of you apart. What you have is special and should be treasured." Ichigo wanted that to be clear before anything else was said. It was pointless to deny his attraction, these two were too good at seeing what he had worked hard to hide for so long.

Shunsui and Jyuushiro shared a long look, and a nod, looks like it was a good thing they had that little talk already. Shunsui once again spoke first. "Ichigo, maybe you should ask what we want before you say certain things."

That made Ichigo look up in surprise, "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"I think you heard me," He was definitely amused, but attempting to keep a grip on it. Shunsui wanted Ichigo to know he wasn't teasing him. "You are right of course, there is absolutely no force on any world that could break Jyuushiro and I apart, but well it wouldn't exactly be the first time we have had a third."

His shock was obvious, and Jyuushiro took over for his lover. "Ichigo, our love is strong enough to support us adding in a third person when we chose to. Not all couples can, in fact most can't, it requires a level of trust and honesty that is rarely accomplished, but for Shunsui and I it is second nature. We are not speaking on physical terms, we are talking about taking you into our hearts, and our lives, you would be with both of us on an equal level."

"This kind of thing is not easy." Shunsui warned. "Not only is there the taboo against homosexuality in Soul Society, there will be additional opposition against a trio. Beyond that, there is the difficulty of maintaining the relationship itself, like Jyuu mentioned there is a certain level of trust and honesty that is incredibly difficult to maintain. We believe you, probably more than just about anyone else we have ever seen, are capable of this, but it is still worth warning you about. We have attempted adding in others who have caught our attention before, and the pressures become too much over time, that is why they are no longer with us, the same very well could happen with you."

It took prodding from both Zangetsu and Junichi before Ichigo could respond he was so blown over, "You are talking like you've been discussing this for awhile." That was the safest comment he would allow himself to make.

"We have been." Jyuushiro confessed with a small smile.

Shunsui finished for him, "We like you, and we think it could lead to more if you allow us to get closer to you. You are strong and kind, protective and gentle, plus you just went through Hell and it would probably do you some good to have someone to lean on in hard times."

They watched as Ichigo seemed to shrink in on himself, "What Aizen did, I can still feel his hands on me sometimes. I hate him, but I can't forget him, I want to forget him."

"We might not be able to make you forget," Shunsui was honest if nothing else. "We can replace Aizen's hands with ours though; give you something else to remember."

Ichigo found himself smiling softly, "I think I'd like that."

"Are you sure you want to do this Ichigo?" It was Jyuushiro asking. "We would like to have you join us, you are welcome, but it is a big decision. It will be difficult, there will be a lot to overcome, and we can't guarantee the rewards will outweigh the hardships. You started this conversation admitting you didn't know what you wanted to do, if you want to take some time to think about our offer please do, you won't offend us."

Ichigo was blushing a bit, "Ah, about that. Before you got here, I spent a good bit of time getting lectured at by both my Hollow and Zanpakuto, they were trying to convince me that maybe, just possibly, you might be interested in me too and I hadn't screwed up as badly as I thought."

"They were both yelling at you this time?" Jyuushiro asked curiously.

"Yeah," Ichigo admitted, "Not just Junichi, even Zangetsu was saying about it, so I couldn't pass it off as my Hollow messing with me again."

He ignored the indignant, "Hey!" Echoing in the back of his mind.

"So you were thinking about it before we brought it up?" Shunsui realized, an easy grin on his face.

"There may have been some mention about it, yes." Ichigo confessed, cheeks and neck still red with his blush.

"Aww, Jyuu, he likes us!" Shunsui couldn't stop himself from teasing anymore, not with such a golden opportunity right in front of him.

"…Yes." Ichigo said quietly, blush growing.

Jyuushiro knew what Shunsui was probably going to do in response, but Ichigo didn't, so he was understandably a bit surprised to find himself glomped by the Captain of the Eighth.

Shunsui was a very tactile and affection person, he touched the people he cared about. Even to Nanao he slung his arm around her shoulders or hugged her often, even if it got him hit by a book, he still did it. So while he wasn't going to be too forceful with Ichigo too fast, he was going to touch him, it was in his nature.

Ichigo was picked up bodily, dragged into the Captain's lap, and a soft kiss was pressed to his temple; all done in one quick motion. He was now shrouded in a cloud of pink silk, feeling comfortable despite the unusual method of getting to his current placement. The butterflies in his stomach increased tenfold when Jyuushiro leaned over and pressed a kiss to his other temple.

Whatever came from this, Ichigo had a feeling he was not going to regret this choice.


	8. Come on Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New love is sweet.

Shunsui had a smile on his face. The sun was warm against his skin, and he could feel the whisper of a breeze. It was a truly beautiful day. Nothing could compare to the situation he found himself in now, absolutely nothing. They were still alone in the field Ichigo had retreated to, and this allowed the newly formed trio to relax in ways they would never allow themselves in other circumstances.

Ichigo had emotionally and physically exhausted himself, first in getting up so early after his nightmare and heading to the training yard, and then panicking when he had impulsively reached out to touch Jyuushiro. When he finally realized everything was okay, allowing himself to relax, he fell asleep with his head on Shunsui's shoulder. Jyuushiro had settled closer until he was resting against his other side, Shunsui putting his arm around his long time love, and he pulled them both close; feeling their warmth and presence soaking into him.

"This feels so easy right now." Jyuushiro spoke quietly, the words ghosting into Shunsui's ear. Ichigo was deeply asleep, and unlikely to wake up, but they would be respectful anyway.

A reassuring squeeze, "We wouldn't have taken this step if this part wasn't easy." He responded. "We have dealt with crushes before, without trying to bring them into our love. Ichigo is different. He is so much like us, when we were younger and finding each other for the first time. I know I keep catching myself seeing you in him, and I wouldn't be surprised if you keep thinking the same about me in him."

"That happened to me just this morning," Jyuushiro agreed. "When I was fighting him I could have sworn I was fighting you again. Not because you two fight the same, he has a distinct style of his own, but you have the same passion for it. You can see it in the way he moves and reacts that he loves what he is doing. He is also far more intelligent than most of the reports have indicated. I think Byakuya may have been holding out a bit in his assessment."

That caught Shunsui's interest, "Oh, what happened?"

"He figured out my Shikai, without attacking me at all." Jyuushiro informed simply.

"That is impressive." Shunsui agreed, before the arm around Ichigo tightened possessively, "He got you to show your Shikai? Did he ask, or make you show him?"

A proud smile graced Jyuushiro's face, "I knew what he was trying to do, but he was good enough I would have had to show him to defend myself if it was a true fight and not just a spar."

"Really?" The third voice was only slightly unexpected. Ichigo had woken up.

Adjusting in Shunsui's hold a bit so he could reach out to cup Ichigo's face gently, Jyuushiro responded, "Yes, I would have needed my Shikai against you in a true fight. You are a very good fighter Ichigo. I don't think you could beat me yet, but with more training, I believe you could."

Taking advantage of the opportunity presented to him, Shunsui kissed the top of both of their heads. "I'm kind of sorry I missed this fight. I am going to have to watch the next one."

"Oh I don't think so." It was Jyuushiro's turn to tease, even Ichigo catching the change of tone, "I think the next one I get to watch the two of you fight. That would be something I would very much like to see."

The resounding, "Told you so!" That came from Junichi should not have surprised Ichigo as much as it did.

Shunsui was of course ready to tease right back, "You are getting as bad as Ikkaku and Yumichika. Ichigo allow me to let you in on a little secret about our Jyuushiro. He doesn't like it when children are involved in fighting, for good reason, but if it happens to be willing adults. He likes watching sparring. A lot."

A slight blush and a somewhat guilty shrug confirmed the words, "Well, for a long time I was restricted in training and fighting myself, so I learned to enjoy sparring vicariously." He explained weakly. "I don't like war, or violence for no reason, but sparring and training meant to make someone stronger and feel better about themselves; yes I do enjoy watching that."

"The large potential to see powerful fit men partially unclothed has nothing at all to do with it right?" Shunsui continued teasing.

The blush on Jyuushiro's fair skin deepened, "…Of course not."

"Uh huh, and I suppose you are going to tell me you couldn't answer if I asked you which Lieutenant, other than Renji, has body tattoos?" Shunsui loved Jyuushiro's blush, it was just as adorable as his smile.

When Ichigo coughed a little and it sounded distinctly like "Izuru," All three had to laugh.

"Most would have guessed Shuuhei," Shunsui observed, "Since he has the facial tattoo."

"Izuru was showing me how to control my spiritual pressure at the same time as we fought. Zangetsu caught the edge of his Shihakusho and ripped it, I saw the tattoos. He doesn't have nearly as many as Renji, but I know he has them." Ichigo explained.

"A total accident?" Shunsui was skeptical.

Ichigo winced slightly, "Maybe not a total accident."

Shunsui laughed richly, "I figured, that Zanpakuto of yours is so large if you managed to rip his clothes without hurting him, you almost had to have some amount of control over the strike." He now had his arms full of two blushing men; yep Shunsui was very much enjoying himself.

"Ichigo, allow me to tell you something about this oaf." Jyuushiro spoke once he got himself a bit more under control. "He might tease me about enjoying watching, but he is the biggest show off ever. He is the one who likes being watched when he fights. He puts on a show of laziness, but it is just that, a show. He probably enjoys fighting and sparring just as much as Kenpachi."

Ichigo twisted around a bit so he could look at both of them more comfortably, "So why don't you fight more often?" He asked curiously.

"I do fight when I am training my squad members, or when it's needed to perform my Captain duties, but for the most part I am too powerful to spar in general with the other Shinigami like Kenpachi can. I enjoy fighting yes, but that doesn't mean I want to hurt anyone too badly when we are fighting on the same side. I can fight with the other Captains, and a few of the Lieutenants, but there are not that many of us." Shunsui informed.

Ichigo felt himself relaxing further into Shunsui's silk draped body, it was comfortable, and for once, he felt safe and protected rather than the one that had to do the protecting. Jyuushiro was right next to him, their hands and legs touching across Shunsui's lap, the three of them all managing to touch in some way, getting used to each others presence smoothly.

"I know each Squad has a specialty of some kind, like investigation or research, so what is yours?" He wanted to know as much as he could about them.

Jyuushiro answered first, "Squad Thirteen is in charge of negotiations, when there is unrest or problems occurring in the Rukon districts my Squad is dispatched first to see if we can calm things down before it escalates into fighting. We have a policy of pacifism, all of my squad members are fully trained and know how to handle themselves, but they are forbidden from striking first. The only time a member of my squad is allowed to engage in combat with souls, Hollows not included in that statement, is when they are attacked first or they are defending someone incapable of defending themselves."

Shunsui had tensed at the question, Ichigo had felt it, and he was reluctant to answer. "Ichigo, this is something you may not like. They needed someone powerful to take over the duties my squad handles. There is a reason I am always teasing, and I act so carefree, and yes lazy, because the nature of the work I have to do when called on is not pleasant by anyone's standards."

Shunsui's words were cut off when Ichigo leaned up and kissed him softly, the first time Ichigo had voluntarily kissed either one of them full out on the lips. "You are not going to scare me away; you both know what I share my soul with. I am partially a Hollow. Tell me your story, I will listen, and I might just understand."

Firming up his hold on the both of them, Shunsui answered Ichigo's original question, "Squad Eight is the extermination Squad. Squad Two are the interrogators and the law enforcement, the ones who discover who is causing the problems, and they attempt to bring them in either peacefully through Jyuushiro's squad, or forcefully through the Black Ops and Kido Corps. If the troublemakers come in through these methods they are placed in custody and usually remanded to the Maggot's Nest, unpleasant, but non-lethal, and there is at least a vague hope of release if a miracle happens. There is a step beyond that for the truly horrific crimes, or the ones who resist arrest, my Squad is called in. We don't capture souls, we are meant to kill them."

"They separate the Squads meant to capture the unruly souls from the Squad meant to eliminate them. In a way that does make sense to me." Ichigo was trying to put it all in place, Shunsui getting a taste of Ichigo's brand of intelligence as Jyuushiro had when he had figured out his Shikai. "Soi Fon needs to be respected and feared for her interrogations to work, but a certain amount of hope has to be involved or she won't get any information. A loyalist to a cause is not going to tell their interrogator anything if they are convinced they are going to die either way, but if they believe telling the truth could let them live, you could find out more and save lives." Ichigo was just held prisoner with very little hope of escape, he knew full well what kind of motivator hope could be, both the presence and lack of it.

"So you do understand." Shunsui relaxed again at hearing Ichigo talk, realizing it wasn't just a case of newfound love talking earlier; Ichigo really meant it when he said he might understand.

Ichigo kissed him again, just like before, "Yes, I do. You are right you know, I don't particularly like it, but not for the reasons I think you're afraid of. It doesn't sicken me, I'm not scared of you, or ashamed, and I'm not going to bolt again. I don't like it, because I can tell you don't. You use humor and acts to cover up the fact you don't like having to do it, but you will, because if you don't than someone else will have to do it, and you won't let that happen anymore than I would. You are protecting the Captain that would have to do it in your place if you decided not to head the extermination Squad any more."

Ichigo was just about knocked out of Shunsui's lap when Jyuushiro practically tackled him after he had finished speaking, the only thing that kept him in place was the crushing hug that wrapped around the both of them. He didn't mind the force behind their hold on him, he melted into their embrace feeling supported and loved unlike anything he had ever dreamt he could have before.

"How can you be so perfectly you, and yet be so much like us at the same time? This is the second time you have said something to one of us, totally off your own volition, which we have only heard from each other." Jyuushiro was speaking firmly, his arms around Ichigo too resting them below Shunsui's.

"I'm nothing special. I watch, I listen, and I say what I mean." Ichigo tried to shrug off the praise, but the hold was too tight on him.

"Oh Jyuu, he is just like you." Shunsui was chuckling. "He can't see how wonderful he is."

"No, he can't, can he?" Jyuushiro was pointedly ignoring the comparison though. "He is just as stubborn and protective as you though. So you can't say he is just like me."

"You can be pretty stubborn yourself when you choose to be," Shunsui pointed out with another chuckle. "I think it's just you Ichigo. You fit in with us as if you've been beside us all along. I don't particularly feel like fighting that feeling."

Ichigo was speechless at that, and before he could even begin to pull himself together, Jyuushiro had started speaking.

"I told Shunsui earlier that this feels so easy." Jyuushiro informed him. "We were honest with you, we have tried to add others before, but it has never felt quite this natural. There was always something that just didn't fit, either the age gap, or the power levels were too far apart, and yes, my illness caused problems when it was misunderstood. With you, the age gap has never been farther apart, yet it hasn't crossed my mind. You have been through so much, when I look in your eyes, all I see is a strong man that has seen too much. Age is only a number when it comes to people like you. Power, well, you need training, but there is absolutely no reason why you couldn't be on our level, and quickly. You learn so incredibly fast I saw you pick things up in just the few minutes we fought this morning. My illness doesn't scare you, or sicken you, and it isn't a topic you wish to hide under the rug and never bring up. Out of sight, out of mind doesn't work for something like this."

"I think what Jyuushiro is trying to say, is you are ours, and you are perfect." This time Shunsui kissed him, and it wasn't the soft reassuring kisses Ichigo had used on him; it was deep and full of promise. He was strong, and sure of himself, letting Ichigo know he was there and he would never have to stand alone again. The battles weren't over, the war was still in progress, but he wasn't fighting by himself anymore. Shunsui was the protector Ichigo had never had, always being the protector himself. A true partner, someone to fight with him, and next to him in the battles to come.

When Shunsui pulled away, his kiss was immediately replaced by Jyuushiro's. His was softer than Shunsui's but just as strong, and he was telling Ichigo there would always be someone to come back to. When he was tired and sore, not sure if he had won or lost, Shunsui and him could stumble back and Jyuushiro would be there with warmth and love enough for the both of them. Jyuushiro was the teacher, and the lover, becoming an anchor in the coming storm.

Ichigo was the balance, the breath of new life and hope. He was the catalyst of their memories. Not choking their love, but stoking the flames, reminding them of its strength helping to grow it to its old intensity. He was what they needed, just as he needed them. He was all Ichigo, no doubt about it, but the things that made him uniquely him were such a close match to Jyuushiro and Shunsui it really did feel like they had known each other their whole lives. He was the heart and the soul, the fresh outlook they needed to bring their love full circle.

When Ichigo and Jyuushiro broke apart, Shunsui claimed the other Captain's lips. Ichigo watched with his body heating up. Watching those two kiss was just as enticing as actively being kissed by them. He didn't have any regrets, but he did think his heart was going to burst out of his chest.

When they were done, Shunsui went back to draping himself over them, "As lovely as this is, if we don't at least start heading back soon, you are going to give Sentaro and Kiyone heart attacks, and Nanao is going to dent her book with my head again."

Jyuushiro sighed, but agreed, "That's the trouble with disappearing in the middle of the day."

"It's so much easier at night." Shunsui grumbled.

"I take it you two are good at sneaking out?" This was something that definitely sparked Ichigo's curiosity.

"Ever since we were in the academy," There was preening on Shunsui's part. "We had to have some way to get some time to ourselves. Escaping Yamamoto was easy, it was getting away from Retsu that was difficult. She caught us more times than not."

Jyuushiro's laughter joined Shunsui's, "Eventually she started letting us go when she realized what was going on. We do owe her quite a bit for all she put up with from us. We paid her back at least a little, every time she caught us, but let us go anyway, we didn't cause any mischief when we were out."

"No, we just caused plenty the times she didn't," Shunsui added, the three attempting to rise from the comfortable pile they had found themselves in. Not wanting to was not helping them find the motivation to get up.

Ichigo had to smile at that, "You two? The mentors, the ones everyone looks up to, you were the troublemakers?"

Twin smirks, "How do you think we are so good at catching everyone? We know all the tricks." Jyuushiro explained.

For a little while, conversation was cut off. They were using easy flash steps to get through the rougher outer Rukon districts. It wasn't a good idea to linger in those areas, considering those were the districts that produced people like Kenpachi, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. Unless you were looking for a fight, it was best to move quickly.

They slowed their pace down to one that allowed talking once they reached the less violent, but still poor sections of the Rukon. "If you are interested, this is where Renji and Rukia grew up. Renji brought our group here a few times, he wanted to come back and check on the people they had to leave behind when they joined the academy." Shunsui explained as they walked.

"That sounds like something Renji would do," Ichigo observed as he looked around. "He is very impulsive, but he does care about people, he makes a good Lieutenant for his squad."

"Yes he does," Jyuushiro agreed, but he was thinking that while Renji made a very good Lieutenant, he could see Ichigo making an impressive Captain. They both cared about people, probably equally, but Ichigo was better at reading them and that was something a Captain needed to be good at.

A group of children raced across the street in front of them, one of the girls falling, crying out in pain. Ichigo got to her first, helping her sit up, inspecting her injured ankle. "It's going to be alright, just a sprain. I can have you fixed up quickly. What's your name? Mine's Ichigo." He introduced as he reached around and took some of the cloth wrapping from around Zangetsu to tend to her sprained ankle.

"Yushio," She replied shyly, tears in her eyes and on her cheeks from the pain.

Shunsui and Jyuushiro had followed almost as quickly as Ichigo, but when they realized the youngest of their trio was handling the situation masterfully, they stood back to give him room to work. They watched him with pride as he calmed the child and tended her wound.

"Is my sister going to be okay?" A boy a few years older than Yushio demanded from Shunsui's left.

He looked down at the worried and upset boy, who was obviously concerned about the injury and the stranger near his sister. "She will be fine. Ichigo is not going to hurt her, watch him, he is taking care of her."

Ichigo was calmly wrapping the injury, still gently speaking to Yushio in a soft voice so she wouldn't panic. He moved confidently, it was easy to see he had handled injuries like this before. "There, does that feel better?" He asked her when it was all done.

"A little," She admitted with a sniff.

"How about I carry you home with your brother, and we help you get settled, would that be alright?" Ichigo offered, "That way you can rest that ankle some more."

Yushio didn't answer, looking to the boy who had spoken to Shunsui instead. He looked torn, glaring at the adults, before grudgingly replying, "Fine, but only because you helped her. We don't like grown ups where we come from."

With the allowance, Ichigo carefully picked up the little girl, she appeared to be a year or two younger than Karin and Yuzu but he knew in the Soul Society looks could be deceiving. "Lead the way." He told the boy, not bothering to ask his name, the way he was acting Ichigo knew he wouldn't get an answer. Jinta could act similarly at times when Kisuke wasn't around to rein him in.

The trio of adults was lead with the group of kids to a run down building, filled with children of varying ages. There were kids that looked around the same age as Yachiru, and a few that were not much younger than Ichigo. Their clothes were patched, but clean, and they at least mostly fit. Their hair and skin was clean and orderly, for a family of children with very little to their name, these kids were surprisingly well taken care of.

On a hunch, as Ichigo was setting Yushio down in the bed she indicated was hers, he asked her, "Do you know someone named Renji Abarai?"

"Uncle Renji? Of course I know him." She replied like he was stupid for asking. "He was one of us, and he managed to get out, we all dream of being just like him. He is even nice enough to come back and check on us. The big kids don't like taking too much from him, but he makes sure we have what we need. Why? Do you know him?"

"He's a friend of mine," Ichigo confessed to her.

She nibbled on her lip for a moment, "Can you tell him I said hi?"

"Next time I see him, I will." He promised.

Once they had her settled, with orders for her to stay off her foot for a few days to give it a chance to heal, they left the makeshift family.

Jyuushiro was the first to speak after they had left, "You have a way with children Ichigo that was very well handled. If Retsu had seen that, she would be kidnapping you for her squad."

"My family runs a health clinic, I have been helping my father for years. Between that, and helping to raise two very active little sisters, I can manage most basic problems. It helps I love kids, though I doubt most people would know that about me." Ichigo explained. "I happen to like the squad I am staying with very much, though I may start straying to Eighth every now and again, but I wouldn't mind learning how to heal the Shinigami way."

"You love kids too?" Shunsui commented, "Yet another similarity coming out. Between the two of us, I think we have become the Seireitei parents, just about all the Captains and Lieutenants have come to us at some time or another in need of guidance. Poor Toushiro I'm afraid doesn't have a choice, the both of us have this slight tendency to want to spoil him; we can't help it."

Jyuushiro flushed guiltily, "I'm probably the worst offender there. He is my little Shiro, he even has white hair like me. He's the closest thing I have to a son, so yes I am going to spoil him, and protect him as much as I can. I want to remind him even if he is a prodigy, he can still enjoy being a child at times."

"I'm not quite as obvious about it as Jyuushiro, but I do find myself being more protective and concerned about him than the others. Unlike Jyuushiro, I train him though. He can't bring himself to do that part of it, but I can." Shunsui added.

"I understand what you mean about him," Ichigo admitted, before laughing suddenly. "Oh, you will never believe this. When Toushiro was in the Living World with me, he met my family, and I do believe he has a little crush on my sister Karin. It was cute."

Both Jyuushiro and Shunsui had to stop in their tracks stunned for a moment, before bursting out laughing too. "Finally, he is learning to relax!" Shunsui broke out after a few minutes of laughter.

"That is good to hear," Jyuushiro agreed.

Ichigo had settled into a little smile, "Karin can be a handful though, she is not a shy girl at all, Toushiro has no idea what he is in for if he decides to go for it."

"Have you met Rangiku?" Shunsui pointed out.

"Ah, yeah, good point," Ichigo accepted.

"So I heard you say you wouldn't mind learning our way of healing, I think Retsu would like teaching you." Jyuushiro decided maybe a change of topic was in order; they had picked on Toushiro enough.

"Retsu would be the one teaching me?" Ichigo asked curiously. "Isn't she too busy?"

Jyuushiro smiled at him, "Normally I would say yes, but it is you we are talking about. Retsu hasn't had a student with your power for a very long time. The stronger the spiritual pressure of the Shinigami, the higher the potential for the healer. She would at least want to supervise your training, even if it was Isane, or possibly Hanataro since he is a friend of yours, doing the actual teaching."

Shunsui had to add something in there, "Most likely it would be Isane, Retsu is very busy, and Hanataro is a good healer but doesn't have much experience teaching. As strong as you are, I don't think Retsu would allow Hanataro to train you; there is too much potential for trouble with that match up no matter how well intentioned he is."

"That's okay, I like Isane, she has taken care of me a bit since I returned from Heuco Mundo." Ichigo replied, the idea of learning from the soft-spoken Lieutenant was not unpleasant, he could see himself picking things up quickly from her.

Shunsui glanced up at the sun, noticing how late it was getting, and sighed in defeat, "We really can't stall any longer. We need to get back to our squads, and we are probably still in for lectures when we do return."

"Hey Shun, what do you say to showing Ichigo some of the old tricks?" Jyuushiro asked, a teasing light in his voice.

A mischievous glint lit up Shunsui's burgundy eyes, "Same time we used to meet, in the field we used today?"

"Sounds good," Jyuushiro agreed.

"Meet you then," Shunsui confirmed, before laughing and Flash Stepping away.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, but it didn't take him long to figure out what was going on, "We are going to sneak out and meet him after dark aren't we?"

"Yeah," Jyuushiro admitted, "The trick is not to get caught or be followed."

"Sounds like fun," Ichigo found himself grinning.

"Oh it is," Jyuushiro was matching his grin, and the two of them were racing each other back to the Thirteenth.

When they made it back, Ichigo sprawled out on his futon, tired but happy. It was one very self-satisfied Hollow that spoke to him, "Well King, I was right."

"Yes, yes, you were," Ichigo didn't bother to argue with Junichi.

Junichi stretched out like a lizard basking in sunlight against one of the buildings in their inner world, "It's stopped raining for a bit King."

"Oh? Maybe you and Zangetsu will dry out some then," Ichigo replied distractedly as he thought over the day.

The Hollow had to smirk at the images bombarding him, "You got it bad."

"So what if I do?" Ichigo answered defensively.

Junichi snorted, "Didn't say it was a bad thing, they have it just as bad from what I saw."

"You were watching?" He demanded, scandalized.

A mocking chuckle, "What else do I have to do when I'm stuck in here? At least it was entertaining. This is going to be interesting, very interesting, to see how this develops."

"What do you know that I don't?" He was a little suspicious of Junichi at this point, his Hollow did like to spring things on him for his amusement.

A ghostly laugh, "You'll see King, you'll see."

"That does not inspire confidence Junichi!" Ichigo protested.

Zangetsu tried to smooth ruffled feathers at this point, "He knows, but he's playing. You're new loves are planning a surprise for you, and it will be worth the wait, so we are not going to ruin it."

"Well he could have just said that," Ichigo grumbled.

"Oh come on King, you know me better than that. Yes I could have just said that, but I'm not going to, it's much funnier to do things my way." Junichi defended himself lazily.

Ichigo half-growled, "Just because I know it doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Ah, you'd miss me King if I wasn't here. You know it." Junichi teased.

Ichigo didn't answer, because there was a large part of him that knew Junichi was right. He would miss his Hollow if he wasn't there to tease him just as much as he had missed Zangetsu when he couldn't hear his sword in Las Noches.


	9. Like Toy Soliders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The honeymoon has to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The homophobia tag on this story comes into focus in this chapter. For anyone reading this thinking the scenario I wrote wouldn't happen, or is blown out of proportion, trust me, it isn't. Things like that really do happen, and more often then most people know about because it can go unreported. Much like rape victims have trouble talking about it, so do the victims of violent hate crimes. The best thing someone can do to help them, is to be there to support them, and be their voice when they are in too much pain to speak for themselves.
> 
> Do not walk away no matter how much easier that path might be.

When Ichigo woke up from his nap, it wasn't even close to dark yet, the danger of summertime and getting up before dawn with nightmares. He needed to kill some time if he was going to keep himself sane during his wait. He wasn't the most patient of people at the best of times, this did not even begin to qualify. He needed a distraction, and for once, training was not going to cut it.

Time to make good on his promises and start visiting some other squads, with how late in the afternoon it was, at least some of the people he knew should be done with their duties for the day. Now who to bug?

Well he was at the Thirteenth now, so there was only one direction he could go, if he started wandering, surely he would bump into somebody he could occupy himself with. The Twelfth was skirted by a very large margin, there was no way in Hell he was allowing Kurotsuchi to corner him without Retsu as a buffer. The Squad Twelve Captain was still smarting from the rebuke he had received in the last check up he had attended.

The Eleventh wasn't avoided when he realized he didn't hear the trademark maniacal laughter of their crazy Captain, but his cursory search didn't turn up Ikkaku or Yumichika either. The high Officers must be out terrorizing some other poor souls, maybe in the Rukon districts. He had barely stepped into the Tenth Squad compound when he heard the tiny Captain ripping into his Lieutenant again, it made him turn right back around. Rangiku was on her own, she probably deserved the lecture anyway.

He didn't have much interest in the Ninth right now, Shuuhei was really busy with both his duties and those of his missing Captain, just like Izuru. Ichigo liked him, but didn't want to get in his way, so he passed up his squad. He was horribly tempted to go into the Eighth, but with the looming surprise, he didn't want to spoil anything. Color him a romantic, but he hadn't experienced anything like this before, no one had teased him with something just out of his reach intending to make him happy. No, he would wait for tonight to see Shunsui again.

Maybe the Seventh? He didn't know anyone very well from there, but if he never ventured inside, then he wouldn't ever get to know them. If he understood it right, the Lieutenant of this squad was friends with Ikkaku. He was on his way over to their squad barracks, when something caught his eye down a side alley, a group of people gathered in a ring, laughing and jeering at something on the ground.

That tripped every one of his danger instincts, something was very wrong down that alley, and he wasn't about to ignore it.

"What is going on here?" He called out threateningly, not pulling Zangetsu yet, but he knew he could reach him quickly if he had to.

A Soul Reaper he didn't recognize turned to him, "Come watch the show, we are putting a couple maggots in their place."

"Maggots?" Ichigo really didn't like the sounds of that.

The same man answered, "We caught them together! One is even a Seated Officer, how shameful! Always knew those Fourth Squad guys were wimps. A good beating should take care of it though, smash some of the shame out of them."

With that comment, Ichigo felt his heart leap into his throat, at the same time as Zangetsu landed in his hands. The tenuous control he had over his Spiritual Pressure snapped with his anger, and the huddle of people realized they were in big trouble.

Shinigami scattered like flies.

Ichigo's fears were confirmed when it was Hanataro on the ground, and he wasn't alone, he had himself draped over someone else; protecting him as much as he could. "Hanataro, it's all right now, they're gone."

Hanataro tried to sit up, but the movement caused him to hiss and moan. "Ichigo?" He asked weakly, his breath coming shallowly. "Check. Him." The order came slowly, but firmly.

Ichigo knelt down by the two injured Soul Reapers, but there was a problem with following the command. Hanataro was dealing with what looked to him to be broken ribs, it would be dangerous to move him without being stabilized first; that kind of injury could cause damage to the fragile lungs and organs below the bones if they shifted while moving the person. "You know better, I can't move you."

"He's more important." Forced out in a strained demand.

If his father ever found out about what he was about to do, he would skin him alive, and Ichigo didn't even want to think about what Retsu would do; but there might be a way. "Hanataro, I want you to hold your breath while I move you, I'm going to pull your clothes tight and go slow. It's the only way I can think of that might work."

A little nod to show he understood, and Ichigo carefully gathered up the cloth of Hanataro's uniform. If he could get it pulled tight enough, it should work like a pressure bandage, and having him hold his breath during the actual move would add further protection for his lungs. "Okay on three, hold your breath, one... two... three." He smoothly and carefully lifted his light friend; moving him to the side, laying him down as flat as possible.

"Don't move any more, I'm going to get in enough trouble for doing this much," Ichigo warned, before letting go of his Shihakusho. "I'll do what I can for him."

Hanataro had managed to get his head turned so he could watch Ichigo check over the other Shinigami. He was pale and unconscious, he was breathing better than Hanataro, but there was red staining the ground under the back of his head.

"They hit him first. He went down. I covered him. They kicked me. You came," Hanataro tried to explain, it was so hard to talk, he had to fight for every word.

"So he hasn't been out long, good." Ichigo realized. The longer someone was out after a concussion the worse it was. "With head injuries it's better to see blood than not, the pressure has somewhere to go." He figured Hanataro had been healing a heck of a lot longer than he had, and would already know all this, but talking might help keep him still. "You two need the Fourth, badly."

"Pulse Spirit Pressure. Works like flare." Hanataro couldn't do it, he was too drained right now; he would just end up unconscious too.

His Spirit Pressure was already spiking wildly, but with Ichigo that wasn't unusual since starting his Kido training. Every once and awhile he just lost control and it poured out of him again, probably why no one had come running yet.

He was still so angry with those men for laughing at and hurting two people for the crime of love, and he was scared for Hanataro and the other Shinigami he hadn't met before. How in the Hell was he supposed to relax enough to regain control to do what Hanataro was saying? He didn't know, but he had to.

The first few attempts failed miserably, like he had never had a single lesson with Izuru. "Focus King!" Junichi snapped at him. "Stop thinking about failing and just do it!"

Realizing his Hollow was right, Ichigo took a deep breath and just let go, unclenching his fists, exhaling the breath, and when he drew in the next lungful of oxygen he brought his power with it. Over and over he let it burst out of him, before drawing it back in, and letting it go, all in time with his breath.

Within ten minutes he was joined by the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Seven since they were the closest squad to them. "Ichigo what happened here?" Iba knew of him threw Ikkaku.

"I found these two getting beaten for sport." Ichigo practically growled out, "They need to get to the Fourth quickly."

"I have seen this before," Komamura observed going over to the fallen Shinigami, "Tetsuzaemon, go immediately to the Fourth and fetch a team with all haste. Level 2 situation."

"Yes Captain," Iba responded, Flash Stepping away, leaving Ichigo with Captain Komamura.

The animalistic Captain looked over the injured ones, "I suspect what happened, but I will not ask, what I don't know I can't be made to put into a report." He explained quickly. "Level 2 means there has been an injury that requires the attention of at least the Lieutenant in the Fourth. They will be safe."

"You're protecting them?" Ichigo was wary, and Sajin couldn't blame him.

He nodded, "I do what I can, but it isn't much, there is a lot I have to work around. I don't have the respect, or the age, on my side that others do."

"Thank you," This was not Ichigo, but Hanataro. He had known Komamura was an ally, even if he was a quiet one.

"Hey now, don't speak, you're hurt," Komamura ordered, and Hanataro quieted again, letting the Captain see who Hanataro was with. "Captain Kuchiki is not going to be happy about this, he is from the Sixth."

"Good, I will have help hunting down those guys and tearing them into bits, Senbonzakura is good for things like that." Ichigo growled darkly. "I don't have to get too specific about why, they were beating up my friend, and they will not get away with it."

There was a spark in golden eyes that Ichigo identified with in that moment, controlled anger, "You might be the only one who can. The rest of us have to keep our heads down, otherwise we get asked too many questions about why we are reacting the way we are. We could lose our positions and then we can help no one. You have a record of defending your own with force. I think these thugs have gotten away with their crimes for too long."

"Starting now, that is going to change." Ichigo promised.

"Good." Komamura agreed, just as they felt the approaching Spirit Pressure of the medical team from the Fourth, headed by both Isane and Retsu. They had felt Ichigo's pulsing call, and were already preparing to come when Iba got to them.

"Isane, see to Hanataro, I will get Rikichi," Retsu started giving orders as soon as she saw their condition, the head wound the more immediate threat.

Captain and Substitute stepped back out of the way to give the healers room to work, but stayed to keep wandering eyes at bay. This was not a time for spectators. At least doing this let Ichigo could know that Hanataro and his partner were going to be all right, that he had made it to them in time. Ichigo was glad to put a name to the face of Hanataro's companion. There wasn't any doubt that was who he was, with the way Hanataro still hadn't taken his eyes away, even though Isane was working on him with healing Kido.

"Ichigo! Are you okay?" Shunsui, with Nanao following him, had arrived; they had felt Ichigo's flare too. It had taken the Captain a little while to persuade his Lieutenant to let him check out the situation.

"I'm not hurt, just pissed off," Ichigo was quick to inform, "It's Hanataro that was hurt."

The sudden lock down of all emotion spoke to Shunsui's rage, "Not another one." His hands were clenched into fists, but he was quick to hide them in flowing pink silk.

"I am going to find who did this, and they will pay, I don't have anything to lose like all of you do." Ichigo promised, fire in his eyes and tone.

"You will have a lot of people to hunt down," Not a deterrent, just information.

Ichigo only felt his anger grow, "Oh I know, but that isn't going to stop me, someone has to do something!"

"I think you are exactly what we needed to be able to make some changes around here," Shunsui agreed. "This has to stop."

"It will if I have to beat it into them one ignorant asshole at a time," Ichigo growled.

Komamura spoke then, surprising Ichigo a bit, but he made sense. "Normally I would say to hold back on violence. It would only make you more like them, but words haven't worked, and you need to defend yourself. I say fight back until you find a way to make people start listening to you."

"I don't intend to only use violence," Ichigo assured, "Just on the ones that deserve it. An eye for an eye leaves the world blind, but damn it, they can't get away with this."

"Keep that perspective," Sajin advised. Anger could be helpful in many cases, but it could backfire far more easily than it could help.

Retsu interrupted them, "We are ready to move them. Ichigo, it was good you got to them so quickly or the outcome may have been a lot different, as it stands they should both make a full recovery."

A ghost of a smile on Shunsui's face, "That is good news, even if this shouldn't have happened in the first place."

"A lot of things shouldn't happen, at least this time; someone was there to stop it before permanent damage was dealt." Retsu was tired, but it was mental draining this time, she doubted this would be the last time she was called out to deal with a situation like this one.

"We should get out of their way," Shunsui reminded them, and the group of four followed his lead to give the healers room to evacuate the injured parties to the healing units.

Ichigo felt a heavy hand come down on his shoulder and squeeze, it was not Shunsui, "You need to calm down for now, there isn't anything more you can do for them until we find out more about the attack." Sajin could sense the substitute's distressed Spirit Pressure swirling around him, it had gone out of control again once Ichigo was no longer focused solely on it.

"All I want to do is punch those Damn bastards," He gritted out through clenched teeth.

That gave Shunsui an idea, "Hey Sajin, have you ever sparred with Ichigo?"

"No I haven't, but he needs to calm down, not get more worked up." He responded with concern.

Despite all that happened, Ichigo had to smile ruefully at the comment, "Ah yeah, fighting does calm me down. When I'm this angry, it's usually the only thing that does."

"Come on, we can go back to my barracks then," If this was what Ichigo needed, the Captain would do as Shunsui had suggested.

Ichigo went to follow him, only to have Shunsui call to him, "Remember about tonight, Jyuushiro will be expecting you back. Don't be late." With that he finally allowed Nanao to drag him back to the work that had been neglected for most of the day already. It did need to get done since he was planning on slipping away again later on.

Sajin stayed quiet, knowing this was another thing he shouldn't ask about. He wasn't close enough to the people involved to feel comfortable asking. It wasn't a very far walk to the Seventh squad training grounds, and soon enough he was turning to the Shinigami substitute. "Do you have a preferred method of fighting?" He asked once they had arrived.

"I was told you were very good at hand to hand, would you mind leaving Zanpakuto out of this?" Ichigo requested, he needed to get rid of his anger, a good brawl did wonders for that sometimes.

A hand went unconsciously to the hilt of his sword, and a worried grimace crossed his wolf like features, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yes, don't think I missed it back there, you got pissed too. So let's pummel each other. Don't worry I can take it, I'm tougher than I look," Ichigo cajoled. He was on the opposite side of the debate from the early morning, when it was Jyuushiro talking him into fighting.

"Fine, I will give you a chance, but I will call the fight if it goes too far," Captain Komamura warned.

Wasn't the Captain surprised when during the battle, Ichigo made good on his word. Months of having nothing but his body as protection against the Espada had honed his reflexes and speed to heights he had never reached before. The Captain was bigger than him, and stronger than a normal man, but that meant nothing if he couldn't catch him, and there were points on the body that could drop a person no matter how strong they were.

Sajin found himself on the ground often while fighting Ichigo. His size being used against him. It was hard to land a blow on someone who could move so quickly, so even when he was on his feet things weren't going the way he thought they would. Ichigo could have easily won a place in the black ops with his skill, and when the fight was over, Komamura told him so.

"Thanks, but I like being a Substitute Shinigami just fine." Ichigo replied.

"Well come back for another round any time." Komamura responded, glad it had gone so well, normally when a new opponent came against him they ended up regretting it. It wasn't often his sparring partners actually enjoyed what they asked for.

"Well I need to get going, I am expected back at the Thirteenth tonight," Ichigo excused himself when he realized he had time to get a shower and changed before sundown and his surprise.

He had by no means forgotten about the horrific event he witnessed, but with them in the care of Retsu there wasn't anything more he could do until the two men were awake and able to talk. Until he could get a few details about who attacked them, he couldn't enact his plan of vengeance, the only one he had gotten a good look at was the one he had spoken to directly. There was plenty more people in the group to find.

He had barely managed to get himself redressed after his shower when Jyuushiro was slipping into his room, and he had to do a double take, because it was the first time Ichigo had ever seen him without his Captain's haori on when he wasn't in the Fourth division. He was wearing a standard black Shihakusho and hakama, with his hair carefully tied back in a single tail to reduce the amount of silver that might catch someone's eye in the dark.

The Captain smiled mischievously at Ichigo's speechless stare, "Ready to go?" He asked, knowing exactly what his altered appearance was doing to the younger male.

"Yes, I want to know what you two have planned for me." That smile was infectious.

Jyuushiro was happy as he carefully explained what needed to happen from here. "Good, now remember, step quickly, and the trick is to make sure no one sees you. If we do get stopped, the simplest lies are the easiest ones to remember, and mixing the truth in with a diversion can make it more believable."

"I'm guessing Shunsui is going to already be there?" Ichigo fished for information, his curiosity starting to bite at him now that the surprise was bearing down on him.

"He will be there first yes, and that's all you're getting from me, now let's go," And with that, Jyuushiro was physically pulling Ichigo from the room, a spark of childlike glee to him in the moment that helped wash away the remnants of Ichigo's earlier anger. Ichigo needed this, and badly.

If any residents of Rukon had looked out their windows at just the right moment, they might have seen two Shinigami in black leaping through the night, but they would have been gone just as quickly.

When they arrived at the same clearing the trio had used earlier in the day, Shunsui was already there as Jyuushiro had confirmed, his pink kimono spread out on the ground under him. He was dressed similarly to Jyuushiro, in that he was not wearing his Captain's haori, the pink silk looking even brighter next to his black clothing.

Shunsui just spread his arms and waited. He soon had a lap full of his loves, and he kissed them both in greeting, "Glad you two made it without problems."

"You didn't give Nanao fits again did you?" Jyuushiro asked in concern for the Lieutenant, but there was amusement in his voice too.

"Nah, my little Nanao let me go, I got my work done," Shunsui responded proudly, drawing them closer, nuzzling into them.

The three of them sat together, soaking up the closeness for several long minutes, until Jyuushiro broke the silence. "So, are either of you going to tell me why I felt your power flare Ichigo, while you were in range of Shunsui's squad?"

Shunsui spared Ichigo the task, and informed Jyuushiro of the earlier events. Two sets of arms went strongly around the youngest in the trio, "Ichigo now you have seen a taste of the dark side of what we are doing. All the warnings we gave you about this were because of events like that. You were there to stop it this time, and there were still injuries, but there has been times when no one came. People have been lost, and scarred beyond repair, from attacks like those. That was only the beginning of what you might see, are you still sure you can do this?" As much as it would hurt, it was not too late to back out now, much longer and it would be much more crippling.

"I am not running away." Ichigo insisted firmly. "I was a prisoner of Aizen, he did everything in his power to make me give in to him, to do what he wanted. If I was strong enough to take that kind of pressure, I'm sure as Hell not going to let those bastards drive me away from the people I love." Here both older men were shocked at the vicious grin Ichigo allowed to bloom across his face now that no one else was around to see it. "They have no idea what kind of danger they brought on themselves messing with Hanataro; Junichi likes him."

"Generally angering a Hollow is a bad idea," Shunsui agreed, he had suspected there was this side to Ichigo, but hadn't seen it. He liked it.

The grin changed to a smirk, "Especially when that Hollow is mine." Now Shunsui really, really, liked what he was seeing.

"So, Shunsui, ready to give Ichigo his surprise?" Jyuushiro recognized that look in the other Captain's eyes, this was going to be fun. Ichigo had no idea what he was in for.

A teasing smile, "Thought you would never ask." Shunsui turned his full attention on Ichigo, "You stay here and enjoy, it's our turn to entertain you tonight. I think you will like what you see."

It was a very curious Ichigo that hauled himself out of Shunsui's lap and laid down on the silk covered ground as he watched the two captains walk away from him. They were so close to one another their shoulders were brushing. He felt a thrill of excitement work its way down his spine as he watched the two powerful men draw their Zanpakuto. Entertain him indeed.

As Jyuushiro and Shunsui fought, his body heated up, and he couldn't tear his eyes away. They were dangerous, and handsome, and beautiful, and there just wasn't enough words to describe the way they looked as they twisted and moved against each other fluidly. Normally Ichigo liked being in a fight far more than he liked watching it, but he stood corrected when it was these two.

When the two got back flushed and excited, they were practically pounced on, not that they minded. It took less then a minute for them to get situated, with Shunsui on his back, enjoying the show of Ichigo and Jyuushiro kissing as they sprawled on top of him. Before long though his hand was pulling at the tie in Jyuushiro's hair, freeing the fall of silver strands, while his mouth was kissing up Ichigo's neck. Jyuushiro returned the favor in causing his own brunette hair to come free of its bounds, running pale hands through it as they kissed, Ichigo watching with heat radiating off him.

When Jyuushiro and Shunsui broke apart, eyes met and they both looked at Ichigo at the same time, "If you are not ready for more yet, say so now, and we will stop." Shunsui promised. They knew enough about his captivity to not take consent on faith, better to ask directly.

"If you stop now, I am letting Junichi loose," Ichigo threatened. This was better than anything he had ever felt before, and he wanted to enjoy it.

A nod and a kiss followed, Shunsui shifting Ichigo around so he was settled more comfortably in his lap, Ichigo's back against Shunsui's chest. Ichigo loved the feel of those strong arms around him, and his mouth kissing his neck. The feeling of utter heaven only increased when Jyuushiro's weight came down on him, pressing their bodies against each other, and kissing his lips deeply. The removal of clothing was a slow process. An exploration of new things for the trio, Ichigo had two new bodies to discover, and the Captains were not going to let a single inch of Ichigo go unseen. Whenever a memory of capture and foreign hands threatened to surface, kisses and soft words drove them away, and Ichigo could breathe again.

Shunsui kissed up his neck again to whisper in his ear, "Jyuu is going to take you first, he is gentler, and then I will if you are still wanting to." He kissed Ichigo's temple after speaking.

Ichigo's breath hitched at the touch and words but he nodded.

One of the things the dark had hidden from Ichigo's view was the bottle of oil Shunsui had brought with him. He slid it into Jyuushiro's reach, and helped to distract their lover from the slight pain of preparation.

Ichigo loved being able to look into the face of the person taking him. He wasn't a virgin, but Grimmjow was behind him. He could kiss, and touch, holding onto Jyuushiro as much as he wanted to. The older man's body was slender, but muscled, comfortably heavy. It felt so good when he moved with him. Shunsui wrapping his arms around him, and snaking a hand between them to toy with his sensitive stomach and groin only added to the pleasure he was feeling.

When they finished, it was accompanied by a passionate kiss, so full of fire and hope Ichigo forgot everything but the three of them.

It was a perfect night, and it wasn't over yet, because it was Shunsui's turn now. Ichigo wasn't immediately ready, it took a bit of teasing, but that was something Shunsui was more than happy to provide. When Ichigo was reduced to a moaning begging mess in Jyuushiro's hold, Shunsui swooped in and gave him what he was asking for.

Spent, nude, and tired, they lay entwined together under the stars. "Thank you," Ichigo said sleepily, head resting on Shunsui's shoulder, Jyuushiro on the other side.

He was kissed by both of them, but it was Jyuushiro who spoke, "Thank you for trusting us, it couldn't have been easy with all you have been through."

"But it was easy, with you two I didn't even have to think about it," Ichigo revealed.

Shunsui's arms tightened, "Good, because we aren't letting go."

Jyuushiro chuckled slightly, "It's kind of a good thing we sparred first though, all the Spiritual Pressure we released might have drawn some attention."

"I think we are far enough from the Seireitei we should be safe," Shunsui disagreed playfully. "Not the first time we've had to do a little fast talking if we do get caught though. Just say we were training Ichigo to beat up those punks."

"I think I have learned some from watching you two fight," Ichigo added.

That earned a laugh from Shunsui, "You really are amazing, you know that? You can remember and learn something like that while being so distracted? Some would find that scary."

"I find it useful." Jyuushiro defended the now red-faced Ichigo.

"I can't help it!" Ichigo protested, hiding his face in Shunsui's shoulder as laughter spilled into the night.


	10. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From student to teacher, how will this change things?

It took another day before the message reached Ichigo that Hanataro and Rikichi were awake, their official statements had been taken, and he was finally allowed to visit them in their Fourth Squad recovery rooms.

"Why were they kept apart?" Ichigo asked angrily, when Isane revealed the plural on rooms was not an error on the messenger's fault. "They just went through a trauma. Hanataro risked a punctured fucking lung so he could be checked on quicker, he didn't let him out of his sight after that. Now you're telling me they weren't even allowed to recover in the same room?" He knew it should have been easy enough to move an extra bed into one of the private rooms, or use one of the general units reserved for training accidents that involved multiple patients.

The tall healer had to put both hands on his shaking shoulders to try to get through his anger, which was frightening enough since his hands were balled into fists, but with the way his Spirit Pressure was starting to whip around him she felt fear coil like a viper in the pit of her stomach. "Ichigo you have to calm down. If it were up to the Captain or I, there is no way we would have separated them, trust me on that. It's just if we kept them in the same room, and either of them woke up while they were alone, any statements we obtained about the attack would be unusable. If we want any chance at all of bringing justice against the people who did this, we have to make sure there is no way they can claim Hanataro and Rikichi are plotting together, that they made up their story. We have your statements from the scene as the first to arrive corroborating the story they both gave now, Ichigo if we can catch them, they will go down for this for sure."

Isane would be lying if she said she wasn't impressed with the way Ichigo reined in his temper with a few deep breaths, and a strained question, "Can either of them walk now?" What she didn't know is all the practice Ichigo had dealing with Junichi made controlling his temper slightly easier, he was still mad as Hell, but it just made him far more lethal.

"Hanataro can, Rikichi shouldn't for another day," Isane admitted.

Ichigo nodded, "Alright, take me to him first. Then the three of us are going to see Rikichi."

"That's what I thought you would say." Isane admitted.

Hanataro's face was lit up with expectation when they walked in, only to fall a bit with disappointment to see Ichigo following Isane, he shook his head guiltily for what he felt was a bad reaction to seeing the friend that quite possibly saved their lives, "Ichigo, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." His voice sounded a lot better today, but it was still weaker than it was, and he was taking much shallower breathes than usual.

"Let me guess, hoping I was someone else? Like say maybe a cute Sixth squad officer that you were doing a helluva good job protecting the other day?" Ichigo's voice was normal, neither gentle, nor overly pampering. Just like the tone he always used with Hanataro, and the Seventh seat relaxed at the calm teasing. Sometimes after a violent attack like that, the people around you could start acting downright weird, when all you really wanted was something, anything, to be normal again. If Ichigo had changed because of this, Hanataro felt like he might have started to scream.

Ichigo himself had suffered a great many traumas, he knew all about wanting things to be normal, and yes knew there would come a time when a person can't take anymore and breaks down. He wasn't going to avoid the topic, but he also wasn't going to treat Hanataro like he was fragile, both options were just as bad. Sometimes things need to break before they can be fixed.

Hanataro glared at his hands laying in his lap over the sheet, "If I was such a good protector, he wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place."

"I counted seven people Hanataro, and he was hit in the back of the head, tells me they surprised you." Ichigo analyzed. "I have seen Rukia gutted in front of my eyes because I couldn't move fast enough, and there were only two people there."

"Wasn't that Grimmjow?" Hanataro knew the story, and he remembered the incident Ichigo was talking about.

"Doesn't matter, I was still entrusted with her protection and failed. I should have been strong enough, and wasn't. It happens Hanataro is what I am trying to say. It tears you apart. You feel guilty, and like you want to rip off your skin, and probably hit something, or scream; but the only thing you can really do is try to get stronger for the next time." He advised, this time having no doubt exactly how Hanataro must be feeling.

"Next time?" The reply was weak and drained, that was the last thing Hanataro wanted to think of right then.

Ichigo was not one for sugar coating, because the truth was better and it gave you a solid base to cling to while your world crumbled, "If there is anything I have learned from all this, it's that there will always be a next time. Hell, I didn't have the collar off for more than an hour before Grimmjow was already telling me to get stronger so I could come back and kill the bastard. I do want to, don't get me wrong, but that wasn't really my priority right then. I was just trying to deal with the fact I was free."

Hanataro hung his head, "It was my fault," He whispered quietly.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, "Stop that, the only ones at fault are the bastard that attacked you from behind."

"No, it was me." Hanataro protested. "We usually take the tunnels when we are together, but we were almost back to the Sixth. We got careless. The Seventh is a safe zone, we all know this, Captain Komamura turns a blind eye if he can. Anyone from the Fourth is an easy target, we are always picked on, so they came after me but saw us together and attacked. I had only touched his hand, just to get his attention, but I held on too long. If I hadn't touched him, maybe they would have attacked me first and he wouldn't have gotten hurt so badly."

"Hanataro, listen to me, because I just listened to everything you told me, and you know what? I still don't think it was your fault. You are making excuses, letting those animals get away with what they did because you are feeling guilty. Don't let them do that to you. They hit him first because he was the first one of you they could get to; that was all. We are going to find them Hanataro, and one way or another they are going to answer for this." Ichigo promised.

"When you find them. I want to see them, I need to know who did this." Ichigo was pretty sure this was the first time he had seen Hanataro truly angry.

A quick but telling glance passed between Substitute and Lieutenant, "If the Head Captain allows it, you may be permitted to face them at some point once they have been tried." Isane answered the question for Ichigo, since he didn't know enough about what normally happened after these events.

Now Ichigo was sure he had never seen Hanataro this mad, because the timid man had just made a sound that was very near a growl, "You and I both know if the Head-Captain finds out about Rikichi and I, those men will be set free before they ever get to a trial. Some technicality will get them off." The overwhelming sense of bitterness and finality in his voice convinced Ichigo he completely believed it.

"Is that true?" Ichigo demanded of the Lieutenant, the grip on his anger slipping, her fear beginning to return.

She nodded slowly, "Unfortunately it has happened before, if there is any loophole that can be exploited it is. That is why as much as it pained them, we absolutely had to keep them separate. Even if they are found out, if there is no technicality to get the suspects out of trouble, it can't be used and they must be tried. The Head-Captain is the most stubbornly resistant to any change in regulations. Others are slightly more willing to listen, even if they do not approve of us, they may not be able to overlook an attack that left injuries of this magnitude."

Ichigo took in Hanataro's tense form, "If that happens, I will hunt them down again, and hold them while you do whatever you want to them. I know a couple of people who will hold the other six." He promised.

The hands lying in Hanataro's lap clenched into fists, mirroring Ichigo's, "What if I'm not strong enough when you find them?"

"You will be." Ichigo assured, "Because the moment Retsu clears you, I am going to train you."

"How long will it take?" Ah good, no protests, he was taking the right steps then.

Ichigo tilted his head inspecting Hanataro, "Well, that kinda depends on you, but I can show you what to do in about ten days."

That made both Isane and Hanataro's jaws drop, "What do you mean ten days?" He spluttered.

"That's how long Kisuke took slamming the lessons into me, the rest you'll learn as you go. Plus it's not like you haven't had any combat training, you just needed a reason to use it, now you do." Ichigo pointed out. "I will just be reminding you of what you should already know."

"If you say so," Hanataro sounded doubtful, but there was some hope, and that was a very powerful thing as Ichigo had come to find out.

He nodded, "Good, now I asked Isane, she said you are healed enough to walk. Why don't we go check on him? If we are with you, it should keep suspicions about you two down, and we can just say you were worried about the other man in the attack which is true enough."

Even with a couple of still tender ribs, Hanataro was out of the bed and on his feet quickly. With a little help to steady the sudden dizziness from his too fast rise, they were on their way to Rikichi's room.

Only to stall out at the sound of voices in the room, he wasn't alone. "Wait, that's Renji." Ichigo identified with relief, the others realizing he was right nearly as quick.

Hanataro paused at the door just long enough to make sure Renji was the only extra person in the room, before he was climbing in the bed with Rikichi. He had to be careful with their injuries, but they both needed the closeness, and this was proven with the way the younger Shinigami didn't protest, merely settled gently against him to avoid aggravating Hanataro's healing ribs.

Rikichi was taller, but slimmer than Hanataro, dark hair cut short that normally had three slightly longer beaded strands trailing down for accent. At the moment there was a white bandage wrapped around his head to protect the healing injury obscuring the view of the longer strands. He had an open face, with easy to read expressions. Where Hanataro seemed to draw into himself, Rikichi was bursting to prove himself. Ichigo was sure the attitude difference was probably the result of age, and the separate squads, The Sixth and the Fourth got treated very differently when it came down to the members. Hanataro had been dealing with the Seireitei's low opinion of his status as a healer and general gopher rather than fighter for so long, he'd learned to shelter himself. Rikichi didn't have that influence.

Judging from what he was seeing, this relationship was relatively new, it was strong, and it would be very good for the both of them.

"You two nearly caused a riot," Renji informed, doing nothing but shake his head at the move Hanataro had pulled. "This is the first time they have attacked a high profile couple, people know you Hanataro, and they are pissed. I was just telling Rikichi, the Captain was worried about you both, he sent me himself, but I would have come anyway"

"Was it really that bad?" Rikichi asked quietly, Ichigo realizing this was the first time he had heard him speak. Come to think of it, they hadn't even been introduced yet, Hanataro's presence might just be the only thing keeping him from panicking.

Hanataro was the one to ask him, "What do you remember?"

"I remember walking with you, and a male voice yelling at us, I tried to turn to see who it was and got hit. I don't remember anything after that. They didn't tell me anything about how you were until I had spoken to Captain Unohana, she said you had some broken ribs, but were otherwise doing okay." Rikichi reported, doing his best to sound formal with the Lieutenant of his squad, not to mention his idol, standing right there.

"Hey, calm down, this isn't an interrogation. I'm just here to see if you're all right. The Captain was worried about your health not your job." Renji realized the problem and reassured. Rikichi was not hard to figure out after working with him for so long.

Rikichi blushed, "Sorry," He responded. "It's still odd to think how much has changed with him."

Renji just blinked, "Ah, Rikichi, nothing's changed this time. The Captain doesn't like seeing any of his Squad members hurt when they weren't doing anything wrong to end up that way. Whether or not he found out about you wouldn't have changed how he reacted to this." He informed.

Ichigo was now looking back and forth between Renji and the pair on the bed, not trusting the leap his brain had just made. They couldn't possibly have meant what he thought they had, could they? Isane is the one who made his mind melt, when she quietly informed him, "Byakuya will be at the next meeting you come to."

A steadying breath, as his brain came back online, remembering about Renji's position, "Is he a supporter like Renji? I know he was married, because that's why Rukia was adopted."

"The Captain hasn't had a serious relationship since his wife passed, but before they were married, he had meaningful relations with people of both genders." Renji admitted. "I found out when I started going to meetings with Izuru and Shuuhei. I think it's probably one of the reasons the Captain still puts up with me, he needs to trust his Lieutenant incase they notice something."

"It doesn't hurt that you have designs on his little sister, and the closer you are, the better he can keep an eye on you," Ichigo pointed out, relieving Renji. He told Ichigo with the belief he could handle the secret without flipping out, looks like he was right.

"Riki, guess what, Ichigo said he would train me. If Yamamoto gets those guys off like he did the last time there was an attack, he is going to hunt them down for us and he even said he would hold them while I took revenge. We are going to get them for this," Hanataro explained, sounding almost giddy at the thought of tracking them down and getting some kind of vengeance. Ichigo glanced over and noticed Renji looked shocked too, good, at least he wasn't the only one. Looks like Hanataro was developing a new side to his personality.

Looking at the way he was holding onto Rikichi, Ichigo understood, people changed the most when they had something important to protect. Hadn't he met Hanataro in the first place while the timid Shinigami was attempting to sneak around to help Rukia, despite coming up against the rest of the Seireitei? He could be tough, just needed the right motivation, and that was the reason Ichigo offered to train him.

"Hey, Hana, once he shows you, do you think you can teach me?" Rikichi asked.

Renji laughed, "How about I help Ichigo out, and we work with both of you." He offered, tilting his head back to look at Ichigo, getting a nod of agreement. He knew he would, Ichigo had too big a heart to say no.

"Really!" It looked like the poor kid was going to have a heart attack; he was just offered training by his idol. "Won't the Captain get mad? You have duties."

"Nah, if it means he gets a stronger squad member, and it gets me out of his hair for a little while, he'll allow it. He doesn't need me every second of the day, he is too obsessive to use me for as much as some of the other Captains do, so I have a little more free time to spare." Renji easily admitted.

"Ah huh, and are you going to tell them about how you just might be looking forward to the fact it's Ichigo heading this little training venture." Isane teased.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of him, a cocky grin on his face, "Oh, what did I miss?"

"Come on Ichigo, I don't think there is a Soul Reaper in the Soul Society that would turn you down if you offered to train them. You can go against a Captain and win. Renji is going to do everything he has to, possibly including begging, to get his Captain to let him help you out so he can hear what you have to say. We all would like to know just how you managed to get that good." She informed him.

"It's not like Renji and I haven't fought before," Ichigo shrugged it off, "You can come if you want. Good luck with Byakuya."

Neither Isane nor Renji informed him the fighting they had done was not the same as actually getting to hear what his training had been like. Renji had met Urahara, lived with him even, but the man hadn't made any moves to teach him anything. He knew he was a good Shinigami, he had earned his position as a Lieutenant, but there was something more than good about Ichigo to make a man like Kisuke come out of hiding to train him. He wanted to know what that training had been. This was his chance to find out.

"Renji, Ichigo; sorry, but I'm going to have to kick you out now. These two need to rest. Hanataro, I can let you stay with him awhile longer, but I am going to have to send you back after visiting hours are over. You won't be able to stay the night because our overnight patrols rotate, I can't guarantee who might find you." Isane informed sadly. Retsu and Isane had done their best to weed out the fanatics from the squad, but it was always possible for them to miss someone, or for a newly transferred member to have opinions that hadn't come up yet.

"Hey Ichigo, you can come back to the barracks with me, I have to report to the Captain about these two. You did find them; he might like to hear from you about it." Renji invited after the dismissal.

Ichigo nodded and followed, with a quick goodbye to the two Shinigami already starting to nod off to sleep.

"So you think training them is a good idea?" Renji asked once they were out of the Fourth's domain.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied, "You didn't hear Hanataro Renji. He thinks it was his fault. He needs something to focus on, to feel like he is doing something to keep it from happening again. I know you've seen it too, the times Hanataro is strong is when he is working for something he believes in. I wasn't expecting Rikichi to want to join in, but I think that will actually make training Hanataro easier if he has what he wants to protect right there in front of him. Talk about motivation."

"Sounds familiar," Renji pointed out.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

Renji chuckled, "Sounds just like you, only you already went through this part before we met you. I dare you to tell me I'm wrong," He challenged.

"You're wrong." Ichigo managed to say with a completely straight face.

"Spill it Ichigo," Renji pressed.

A little smirk, "I didn't go through it until I already met people from Soul Society. If you want someone to blame for the way I am, just go find Rukia." It was her fault, if it wasn't for her, he might still be drowning in guilt over his mother. Moving on and getting stronger only happened after Rukia made him confront the truth.

"Ichigo, be careful with Rukia, please?" Renji requested seriously. "Being around her brother and me, she doesn't have much of a problem with your secret; it's your Hollow that scares her. You know about Kaien Shiba right?"

"Yes, I know the story. He was overtaken by a Hollow, and she was the one who ended up killing him during a moment of sanity on his part." Ichigo responded solemnly.

"Let me guess, she has been avoiding you hasn't she?" Renji inquired, but not really needing the answer, he already knew what it would be.

"I haven't seen much of her," Ichigo confirmed. "I don't want to push it, so I'm giving her space."

He rubbed the back of his neck, below the spray of vibrant red hair, "I can only tell you she isn't mad, just scared. I didn't think she would ever be able to talk about Kaien to be honest, then she met you, it's still hard for her, but she is starting to talk. I don't know enough about what you are, one way or another, to be afraid of you. I just know I trust you to handle yourself, and if you were a danger to us, you would be the first person to get yourself away. You are far too protective of people to put anyone in danger from a force originating from yourself."

"I don't want her to be afraid of me," He was a protector, and one of the people he protected feared him, he considered that a very deep failure.

"Give her time, she will come around. She has a lot to sort through before she can though," He warned.

Their conversation stilled until they entered the Sixth squad's compound, heading towards Renji and Byakuya's office. Renji letting off a soft flare of spirit Pressure to let his Captain know he had come back, Ichigo following suit when Renji told him to do so. A more direct method than knocking, and it was individualized, so the Shinigami in question knew exactly who was outside their door.

Ichigo was growing more grateful by the day for Izuru and his lessons on control, they were coming in handy all over the place.

"Captain, we just got back from the Fourth, Rikichi and Hanataro are both awake and recovering well. Statements were taken cleanly, so hopefully if the suspects are found they won't be able to get out of punishment." Renji reported.

"Good," Byakuya responded, "Was anyone able to give you the likelihood of finding the culprits?"

"Rikichi heard one of their voices, and Hanataro saw two faces, it's all hearsay though," Renji admitted, "Especially Rikichi's since he had a concussion."

"Not true, one of them talked to me, I got face, voice, and he had an oddly shaped Zanpakuto," Ichigo interrupted. "Get me him, and I will find you the others."

"Was the man in Shikai?" Byakuya interrogated.

Ichigo shook his head, "No, but it wasn't a standard Katana, shorter and narrower, the sheath was about the length of my forearm. He had it tied around his waist with a blue cord."

"Sounds a bit like Nanao's," Renji observed, "She keeps hers up her sleeve though."

"Now that you mention it, yeah a lot like hers, maybe an inch or two longer," Ichigo agreed. "Guy ran quick enough when I pulled Zangetsu, they all did. There were seven of them, if even half had Shikai and stood against me they might have stood a chance."

"Your sheer arrogance aside," Byakuya couldn't stop the insult, "The battle would have drawn more attention to the incident quicker than they could escape, they had to run. Cowards who would attack a man from behind will not stay to accept the consequences of their actions."

Renji added on after his Captain, "Plus you have to admit, it is kind of intimidating to face down a sword longer than you are. Especially with your record of using it without bothering to worry about the rules."

"You didn't have a problem when you first met me," Ichigo pointed out.

"A Lieutenant pitted against a greenhorn Shinigami fighting with stolen power is hardly comparable to what you faced rescuing my squad member and Seventh Seat Yamada." Byakuya broke in before Renji could answer.

"You can just use their names you know, it won't kill you," Ichigo jabbed. Byakuya was horribly tempted to roll his eyes in response, but he restrained himself.

"How I chose to address people is not your concern Kurosaki." He replied icily.

"The name's Ichigo," Well there was a little change in expression, a narrowing of grey eyes in irritation. This was oddly fun. "So Renji and I have a request, it involves Rikichi when he gets healed up enough to return to training."

Byakuya had to use more effort than he was used to in order to clamp down on his irritation, "I'm listening, what are you up to this time?"

"I offered to train Hanataro when he got better, so he could have a way of fighting back, and when Rikichi found out he wanted to learn too. Renji offered to help me train them. So would it be alright for Renji and Rikichi to disappear for a little while so we could take care of this?" Ichigo asked directly, explaining his reasoning. He didn't hate Byakuya, as much as he teased him, so he figured showing a little respect in giving him the right amount of information might go a long way.

Byakuya thought it over for a few minutes, weighing the possible outcomes. "How much time will you need?"

"Ten days, at least for the initial part, after that Rikichi can come find me whenever he wants to," Ichigo responded.

Another pause, this one longer than the last, before he answered, "Yes, Rikichi may train with you for ten days following his release. I will give him clearance to be away from his duties for that time. Renji however can not be away for that long, a Lieutenant gone missing for so long will be noticed and questions will be asked, but he may join you when his duties for the day are over. I will make the attempt to lighten his workload so he can get to you quicker on days where that is possible."

Ichigo blinked rapidly for a few moments, "I hadn't thought of that, of course someone would notice if he were to vanish. Sorry Renji, looks like you are going to have to ask Rikichi to fill the blanks for you when you have some time off later."

"Can you teach both of them by yourself?" The question was asked by Renji, but Byakuya was just as concerned with the answer.

"If I need to, yes," Ichigo replied confidently. "I should be able to get some help here and there though. They might be a little busy though, so I'll probably be on my own for some of it anyway."

"Who?" Renji asked curiously.

"Jyuushiro most likely, he likes helping out up and coming Soul Reapers, he would enjoy this. Shunsui might too if he can sneak away from Nanao and paperwork long enough." Ichigo answered. "Shunsui was there not long after the attack happened, and he was very angry, I don't think he will have a problem giving some pointers to the people who got hurt so it doesn't happen to them again."

"That does sound like them," Not Renji, Byakuya; and Ichigo was honestly surprised he had commented since he figured the noble would keep quiet about his knowledge of them.

"I thought so," Ichigo agreed, "If you want to come supervise for awhile during some of it, I won't try to stop you." He knew better than to say he couldn't come during the training. Ichigo had won a fight with Byakuya before, but that didn't mean he wanted to tempt fate by picking another one. Now if it was a nice little spar…

"I will do that as close to the beginning of the process as my duties allow," Byakuya accepted the invitation.

Ichigo nodded, "Good to know. Just, try not to sneak up on us please? If someone shows up where we are training that is suppressing their power, I am going to attack first and ask questions later. I'm going to protect them as much as I can, they have already been hurt too much."

"If you are paying attention to your surroundings as you should, you will know I am there." This was the slightly cutting reply from Byakuya. "Captains do not 'sneak up' on people, but we also do not toss around Spirit Pressure like untrained barbarians. I will announce my presence in much the same way you did when you entered my office."

Instead of taking offense, Ichigo laughed slightly, "Took you long enough to say all that, when you could have just said, no I won't surprise you."

Byakuya was wondering in that moment if anyone had ever told him just how truly irritating he was, but he restrained from saying so. It was not becoming of a noble to let such emotions get the best of him.

Even if the Substitute was very, very, annoying, "If there is nothing else to be passed on from the Fourth, I have work that needs attending."

"I think we covered everything," Renji admitted, "Rikichi said they still are not sure when he will be released yet."

Renji and Ichigo were in the process of leaving when the Captain called out one more time, "Kurosaki, if I thought for one moment that you were not competent enough to handle this training, or that my squad member would come to harm under your supervision, I would not allow this. I come to supervise your method not your ability." With that, Byakuya crossed back to his desk and pulled the next form needing his attention over to him in a blatant dismissal.

Ichigo could honestly say that was one thing he never expected to hear from Byakuya, ever.


	11. Next To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lessons begin and a reunion happens.

Ichigo had just secured Zangetsu on his back when there was a tentative knock on his door. Knowing he wouldn't have made any plans to meet anyone today, since this was the first day of training with Hanataro and Rikichi, he opened the door with a mixture of curiosity and caution to find Rukia standing in the hall looking nervous.

He didn't like that look on her, she might be small, but the raven-haired female just didn't get nervous especially not around him. There was a time when she thought nothing of threatening him with death if he made a scene in public, or kicked him out a window for scaring her; and now she was scared of him? It was just wrong.

"Rukia, is everything alright?" He asked in concern. He didn't think he could handle it if she had come not to mend bridges but to say she didn't think there would be any such mending.

She shook herself a bit, the nervousness fading from her stance at the movement, "I wanted to talk to you. My brother told me what you did for Hanataro and Rikichi, and the story is starting to travel around even wider circles lately. Then Renji told me what you're planning to do for them now, with training them. You really haven't changed have you? You're still the same idiot Ichigo who's going to get himself hurt protecting someone else aren't you?" By the end of her speech she was back to her normally way of talking to him, a mixture of compliments and insults, wrapped up in teasing that Ichigo had missed for so many months of confinement and then avoidance.

He grinned at her, something he rarely did but figured she needed to see that he was starting to heal, "Wouldn't be the first time." He admitted without any reluctance. "No I haven't changed Rukia, at least not in the ways that count anyway." With that, he was back to seriousness.

"I wish I could say I'm sorry for the way I've been acting, but I just, needed to know." This was it, the heart of the matter. "I tried to stay out of your way so that you could get help without me interfering because of my own problems, it was the only thing I could do for you. I didn't know Aizen very well, Renji did, I was the one who had the personal issue with Hollows. Knowing that can you understand why the two of us reacted so differently when you came back to us? Renji had a better idea of what you had just lived through, but I had been threatened by the being inside of you. I am still terrified to be honest. I worry that someday that creature is going to fight you, and you will be off guard, in that situation you might very well lose to him. I was the one that killed Kaien, I don't want to have to do it again, or even witness it."

"You will never have to do that again, I promise." Ichigo made sure to look her in the eye as he said it. "I trust Junichi, but even if something made him go out of control, I would never allow myself to remain close enough for any of you to get caught up in his wrath. I would willingly go back to Heuco Mundo and let the dessert claim me before I would let any of you get hurt."

Tears gathered in her dark eyes, but she fought them back. "Soul Society would never let you do that. They would kill you before they would let you go to that place by choice, too much potential to turn traitor."

"If Junichi was that close to losing it, no one could stop me," Ichigo affirmed quietly. "I didn't turn against the Soul Society when I had Aizen whispering poisoned honey in my ear everyday, I'm certainly not going to do it when I'm trying to get myself wiped out of existence. I will admit to just about anyone that the Seireitei has a lot of rules I don't agree with, but rules can be changed or reasoned with, for the most part the purpose of this place makes sense and I understand the balance needs to be kept. I will fight for the Seireitei, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to argue with the people in it when I see something that needs changing."

Rukia just stood there blinking in shock, until, "Ichigo, I think you were wrong. You have changed, but it's good. You've grown up."

"Well it was bound to happen sometime." He didn't see the point in arguing with her on that, but he did wonder why it was so shocking. How did she think he could survive what he did and not mature even more than he already had been.

Jyuushiro and Shunsui had no interest in dating children after all, they wouldn't have approached him if he hadn't matured over the last few months.

"Were you going somewhere?" She finally asked, eyeing Zangetsu, usually if he was headed to the training grounds at the Thirteenth's barracks he just carried his Zanpakuto not bothering to strap him into place.

"Retsu cleared Hanataro and Rikichi, today is the first day of training." Ichigo informed, debating for a moment before deciding to give it a shot, "Want to come? Byakuya is letting Renji come for the whole day today since it's the first session. He will have to make do with whatever time he can scrounge when his duties are done after today."

She nodded, "I'd like that," There was a little smirk on her face that reminded Ichigo of Isane's words from his visit to Hanataro's recovery room. Apparently, even experienced Shinigami were interested in seeing his training methods.

Ichigo had chosen to take the pair to the same sheltered cavern Yoruichi had taught him Bankai in. He figured if it could cover the fact there was a Ryoka learning such a high-powered technique right under a searchers nose, then Hanataro and Rikichi could rest a little easier believing they were safe.  
Ichigo was still going to be on high alert though, he was not going to risk those two, not after all they had been through and with Byakuya's startling faith in him.

With the delay Rukia's appearance had caused him, Hanataro and Rikichi had beaten him to the cave, Renji's presence beside them betraying how they knew where the place was at without his Spirit Pressure there to give it away.

Renji's smile was stretching out his tattoos it was so huge, "Come to watch the show Rukia?"

"Yeah, I want to see this idiot get beaten up by Hanataro." Rukia claimed calmly, sending the two younger soul reapers into fits of laughter, while Ichigo's jaw dropped in shock. "Oh come on, just because you don't fight doesn't mean you can't. This could be interesting."

Ichigo scrapped his jaw off the ground to add, "She has a point Hanataro, you are good when you decide to fight, you just don't do it very often. Shyness can be an advantage, back when I was defending myself on the street with Chad, there was a couple little guys that could take on just as many opponents as Chad. If the person you are fighting underestimates you then you have a good chance of winning."

"I don't want a chance of winning!" Hanataro broke out, surprising all of them. "I had to catch Riki when he fell after they hit him! I tried to fight, but wasn't strong enough. A chance isn't good enough. I want to win! Tell me how you win battle after battle, please tell me!" He was desperate, and Ichigo was pretty sure the only thing keeping him from going over the edge to hysteria was Rikichi's hand on his wrist.

So he answered, as rationally as he could to counter the rising turmoil in the normally docile healer. "Speed, strength, skill, and adaptability are all part of fighting, but the best thing Kisuke ever taught me was to not have a set style. Be unpredictable, fighters that only use a certain method are relatively easy to beat no matter how good they are at that one method. That was how I could eventually win against Byakuya. There was no one fast enough to match his Shikai's speed, so he relied on it, once I got to that level and forced him into Bankai we were back into the territory of sword against sword. You learn that kind of generalized fighting on the street too, the specialists got taken out of the fights the quickest."

"You think you can teach us this in ten days?" Rikichi asked in awe.

Ichigo nodded seriously, "Yes. I learned what Kisuke had to teach in ten days because I had to come here to Soul Society and rescue Rukia. Do you understand? Motivation is the reason I learned it so fast. If you two want to learn, you will." He revealed. "It's not going to be easy. Kisuke had to push me nearly to my breaking point to get me trained in that time and I'll be doing the same for you. It works doing it that way though, so that's what we'll do."

"How do we start?" Hanataro asked.

"I know you have a Shikai, but do you have one Rikichi?" That would be the logical place to start to him.

"Not yet." Rikichi admitted.

"Alright," He had suspected as much, "Do you know your Zanpakuto's name?"

"No, but I've heard her speak a few times when I was running into trouble." He used his free hand to tenderly rub the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

"Good, that is where we are going to start." Ichigo confirmed, "When I first started learning under Kisuke, I had no power. I had encountered Renji and Byakuya in the Living World, in the attack I had lost the conection between my soul and body, as well as any command over the power Rukia had initially loaned me; which was the reason Rukia was to be executed in the first place."

As Ichigo settled into the story, Hanataro and Rikichi practically swarmed him, their appearance mirroring that of excited puppies. Ichigo heard the barely restrained laughter of Rukia, and Renji didn't even bother to hide it as they watched the younger pair soak in everything Ichigo was willing to tell them of his first few days regaining his power.

The only moment of hesitation came when he got to the third day at the bottom of shattered shaft. For the first time since starting his story, he switched his focus off Hanataro and Rikichi, and put it on Rukia, then without leaving anything out he told about fighting off the Hollowfication process so that he became a Visored instead of a Hollow.

He had never told that story before, to anyone, not even the other Visoreds who all got their Hollows in a different way then he did.

He concluded the story with, "I didn't have a choice, it was either have Junichi as a part of my soul, even though I didn't understand what that meant at the time, or not have a soul left at all. Hanataro I know exactly what you mean by saying you don't just want a chance of winning, you need to see it through to the end. I'll show you how to fight, and keep going no matter how much it looks like you won't win, because in the end what I want you to focus on isn't winning; it's not losing."

"How does that make sense?" Hanataro asked in confusion, Rikichi nodding along with him.

Ichigo had been expecting the question, so he had the answer ready, "Ever since encountering the Soul Society, I have been facing off against increasingly stronger opponents. Just about every battle has thrown me to the ground multiple times. If you go into a fight expecting to win it, and then you hit the ground your will to get back up is stunted, but if you go into that same fight refusing to lose you will pull yourself out of the dirt as many times as it takes. That is how I have won against so many people that were stronger than me."

"So that's your secret," Renji butted in. "I knew there had to be something."

"You mean you haven't heard that before?" Ichigo was a bit surprised at that. "That's a little odd to me, considering I'm pretty sure Kenpachi fights the same way."

"Kenpachi doesn't say anything about method, he is more about results than anything else," Renji readily admitted. "You really think he is the same way?"

"As positive as anyone can be about someone else's style. I caught onto it when I was fighting him the first time, we fight almost exactly the same way. If it wasn't for Zangetsu helping me out, I would be dead, we were that closely matched." Ichigo confirmed. "That is something we can talk about another time though, these two have only been released for a few days, so time to get started. The goal by the end of ten days is to have Rikichi at Shikai and Hanataro at Bankai. I have been spending the last few days while you two were recovering making a few arrangements for helpers, they will be helping me show you a style of fighting that you two can use together that will make the best out of both of your talents." Looks of shock all around, this was going to be fun.

"Did you just say you wanted me to be at Bankai?" Hanataro practically squeaked.

He nodded, smiling at his flustered friend, "You can do it. Kisuke has a method that cuts down the time it takes, I learned it in two days."

"But you were already so much stronger then me when you started, there's no way I can do it!" Hanataro objected.

Ichigo's smile faded and his eyes hardened, "Stop that right now Hanataro!" He ordered. "You are a lot stronger than you let yourself show, and the way others treat you doesn't help. If I have to rip you apart and put you back together again in the next few days to show you that I will, but believe me, in the end you will have your Bankai!"

"I believe in you too." Rikichi affirmed, squeezing Hanataro's hand. "Who are the other people you asked to help us? Are we allowed to know before they get here?" He asked to divert attention away from Hanataro while he got himself under control once again.

"Jyuushiro and Shunsui did agree like I thought they would, the other two are a surprise," Ichigo went along with Rikichi's distraction.

Renji's chuckle brought their attention to him, "I have a suspicion who they might be."

"Suspect away, but I think even you are going to be surprised." Ichigo knew he was only encouraging Renji's curiosity, but it wouldn't hurt anything if he did figure it out, so there was no harm in it.

"Well we aren't going to get anywhere just standing here talking, so what is first?" Not Hanataro, Rikichi, starting to get excited at the very real prospect of something this big happening to him and the person he loved. He never expected this many people to care about them, especially the people in the ranks as high as Lieutenant and Captain that would normally barely acknowledge someone like him who wasn't even Seated.

To say things were changing in the Soul Society was an understatement, and now he had the privilege of learning from the person that was the cause of most of the upheaval; the rest of it being Aizen.

"First up, Hanataro you're with Renji, he has a Bankai and knows what goes into finding one so he's a good sparring partner for a person trying to find their own. Rikichi I'd like to work with you today, there is more than one way to get to Shikai, and I need to get a feel for what's going to work best on you." Ichigo informed, sliding into his teaching roll easily, so naturally he caused Rukia no small amount of shock.

"Where's the target thingy Hanataro is going to need?" Renji asked as he started to lead him away.

"Near the back wall closest to the spring," Ichigo informed before turning back to Rikichi, "You remember everything you need to tell him right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I can handle this much," Renji grumbled, "You've got him the rest of the time, plus it's not like I'm doing the work, it's his Zanpakuto putting him through his paces."

"Huh?" Two voices chorused in unison, both Rikichi and Hanataro didn't know what to make of that one.

"You'll see," Renji told the older of the pair wickedly, pulling him along as Hanataro gulped.

Rikichi was left watching Hanataro get dragged along by his idol torn between wanting to rescue and willingness to trust this was the best thing for him.

"He'll be fine," Ichigo was not blind to his debate, "The best thing that can possibly happen to Hanataro is be pushed to his limit while he is still so motivated by the attack, and you being right here working hard next to him is only going to push him further. I'll let you in on a little secret, one of the people I have been asking for advice from is Captain Unohana, Retsu has been telling me exactly how to approach Hanataro so I can help him improve without hurting him."

There was a look of slight indecision on his face, "I know you planned all this for him, is it really okay that I'm tagging along? They just kind of put up with me in the Sixth hoping I'll get better, Renji sticks up for me now and again, but I know the Captain is losing patience with how little I can do for the Squad."

"Rikichi, if there is one thing I know about Byakuya it's this, there is no losing patience with him. He has none to begin with. He would not keep you on the squad if he didn't have a reason for it. I didn't ask you here just as a ploy to help Hanataro, this is for you too. I like helping people, you need it, and want it, so I have no problem helping you too. You were both hurt, I saw you bleeding and him struggling to get you help, so I am going to do everything I can to make sure nothing like that happens again." Ichigo assured.

"How can you be like that?" The tone was awe, and a bit of frustration, "You are so powerful, everyone was sure you would be so, I don't know, arrogant? That no one would be able to get close to you, but you are the one reaching out to everyone else. Here you are helping me when the only thing you know about me is that I'm with Hanataro."

"You were one of the ones helping to track us down while we were labeled Ryoka right?" Ichigo didn't continue until he got a nod, "Do you remember one of the others named Chad? He was very tall, broad, and muscular compared to the rest of us. Shunsui is the one who brought him in during the incident."

"I didn't meet him personally, but he made enough of an impression I've heard about him." Rikichi admitted.

"Chad is a powerful person. His strength is obvious, he is bigger then just about everyone around him, and has always been that way from the time I've known him. Yet he is gentle if you talk to him, he rarely speaks, and one of the first brushes he had with the spirit realm came because he was protecting the cursed spirit of a boy trapped in the body of a parakeet. He is the one who taught me the most about balancing power with responsibility. We came to an agreement long ago that he would throw his punches for me, and I would throw mine for him. I have been given strength, how I use it is my choice, and I want to help people."

Rikichi lifted his head and asked the question on his mind since Ichigo had been so forthcoming up till now, "There are a lot of people that need help, people that are close to you, or closer, so why us?"

"You forget it wasn't very long ago I was held captive, hurt and helpless at the hands of an enemy I couldn't beat yet myself. I know what it's like to want to get stronger no matter what it costs, to worry about protecting what you love. I had to have an Espada break me out or I would still be there, an Espada! If it weren't for one of Aizen's own warriors turning on him, my strength would have meant nothing because I was chained up like a dog and kept as a pet. I will help the two of you get stronger, because no one will ever take advantage of my friends ever again, not while I am free to do something about it." Rikichi was stunned into silence, but Ichigo was still tackled because he had forgotten something in the moment.

Rukia had been listening, and hearing it out loud like that, after avoiding Ichigo for so long she hadn't been around to see him come to grips with the captivity and start talking about it; she couldn't not react. Now Ichigo had an armful of sobbing Soul Reaper and was at a slight loss as to what to do.

"Ah Rukia, are you okay?" He asked awkwardly, not used to her displaying that much emotion at once.

She punched his shoulder as a response, "You idiot, I should be asking you that!" She snapped. "I knew it was bad, but I really screwed up didn't I? Junichi saved you, and I abandoned you because I was more worried about that stupid Hollow than you. I was selfish."

"No you weren't selfish, you were scared." Now that he had something to work with, his confidence returned and he could reassure her. "I understood then just as much as I do now Rukia. I do trust Junichi, because he is part of me, but I have seen what a Hollow is capable of, they tortured me while I was in their grasp. I don't know what you saw that night, but if it was similar to what I've seen, you have every right to be cautious of Junichi until you know he isn't a threat."

"You really are a moron you know that, but this time I'm glad." The tears had stopped, but she squeezed one last time before pulling away from his hug. "Now get back to your lesson Mr. Professor." She teased, punching his shoulder again.

"I don't think I'm ever going to understand why you show affection with violence." Ichigo muttered turning back to Rikichi who'd stepped back and averted his eyes to give them some privacy. "Alright, sorry about that, but now you understand I think why this is important to me. Power means nothing if the people around you are gone. Keep them close, and keep them safe, that's what I'm going to ask of both of you coming out of this."

"That won't be a problem," Rikichi assured. "I know I don't have the heart to hurt anyone that hasn't done something to deserve it; and Hana is even more passive than I am usually. He doesn't even carry his Zanpkauto most of the time."

"Part of this training is not about how to fight, but when." Rikichi deserved a warning, he loved Hanataro too much for Ichigo not to give him one. "I appreciate people like Hanataro, and another of my friends Orihime, that prefer to heal rather than fight, but I think there is more potential lurking inside them than that. I don't want to change him so that all he wants to do is fight, I want to give him the choice. I don't want people thinking you two are an easy mark. Retsu chooses not to fight, but everyone in the Seireitei knows its choice, and listens to her commands, if I have my way Hanataro will eventually be the same."

"And me?" He was confident enough to ask that after everything else he heard.

"From what I know, you want to fight, and prove yourself or you wouldn't be worried about Byakuya's patience or your place in the Sixth." Ichigo observed. "So that is what I'm going to be showing you. Hanataro will be the shield, and you the sword. The two pairs I have coming advised me that was the best way to train a team of two as close as you've grown."

"But you're giving him a Bankai, and I don't even have a Shikai yet, how am I the sword?" Ichigo could see the thrill lighting up in the young Soul Reaper, but there was still caution in him. Fear that maybe this opportunity was too good to be true.

"I am giving you the tools you'll need to keep growing. You will have your Shikai at the end of this, but that doesn't mean that is all the further you will go." He assured. "Once the rage of this attack dies down I don't think Hanataro is going to be as forcible about fighting as he is now, but you're different. You want to fight for more then just this one incident, so if I work with you now you will find the motivation to keep going after we're done with this one intense training session. It's what Kisuke did for me."

"Wait, so why do I get the feeling my training is more like yours than Hana's?" Rikichi realized.

"Because it is." Ichigo admitted. "Hanataro's training is more like what I got from Yoruichi, plus a sprinkling of what I learned from the Espada while I was Aizen's captive. Yours most resembles my initial training regimen, but that is what everything else built on, so if I hadn't had it I wouldn't be half the fighter I am now. I would probably be dead many times over actually now that I think about it."

"You are breaking up the training you had, giving us each a part, and then you are bringing in friends of yours to help us learn how to fight together. Did I get the plan right?" Rikichi analyzed.

Ichigo blinked slowly in shock, "Actually, yes. I just noticed the two of you had different personalities that might take to different parts of what I could teach you, but combined together it could be extremely hard to beat the two of you."

"Is the other pair the Third and Fifth seats from the Eleventh?" Rikichi took a guess. "They fight like that, or at least I think they did the few times I've seen them."

"You aren't wrong about them," Ichigo approved, "They do fight in a combined style when they need to, but they are pure melee fighters, and I don't know what kind of power you two are going to end up with, so no they aren't the ones I asked to help. I think Renji thought the same way you did though, which is why I told him he might be surprised."

"Now you have me really curious," Rikichi admitted.

"Do you really want to know?" This did serve a purpose, the teasing and cajoling allowed Ichigo to get a feel for Rikichi's personality first hand. Useful for teaching him.

He barely managed to contain himself, and even Rukia was looking interested having pulled herself together after her earlier breakdown. "Yes please, if you're willing to tell me." Rikichi requested again.

"Retsu is loaning me Isane, and Shunsui is shoving Nanao away from paperwork for a few days. Between all the people involved in this little training exercise you two are going to be the best trained Soul Reapers in any squad." Ichigo explained confidently, proud he had snagged the two women into his web.

Shunsui and Jyuushiro could show them how to fight together yes, but they had been doing it for a very long time. They knew exactly how and where they were going to move and what the other was most likely to do during a battle. It was instinctual for them. They could show Hanataro and Rikichi what they had the potential to do, but it would be awhile before they reached that level.

It had been an accident that Ichigo found out Isane and Nanao had worked together before, just as Retsu was occasionally deployed alongside Kenpachi on dangerous missions where healing might be immediately needed. It was perfect, a team that could show the two males how to begin working together before they reached the level of Jyuushiro and Shunsui.

"None of that matters though until we can get you to your Shikai." Ichigo stated firmly before they went off on another tangent.

"How do we do that?" Rikichi was ready for it, he wanted to learn.

"Remember the times you heard your Zanpakuto's voice?" Ichigo prompted.

He nodded, "I was always in some kind of trouble or danger."

A grin bloomed across Ichigo's face that made Rikichi freeze as he realized what was coming, "Exactly. I happen to know a source of danger perfectly suited to this task. Hanataro has three days to reach Banakai, you get a different challenge, you will learn Shikai in three minute increments."

"Three minutes?" Rikichi asked skeptically.

Ichigo cast his gaze over to Rukia, "You might not want to watch this," He warned, before focusing back on Rikichi. "You are going to be facing Junichi, but he only gets to come out for three minutes at a time. Each time I let him out though I will push you a little harder until we reach the point you have to call your Zanpakuto's name to protect yourself from him."

"Ichigo, I know you trust Junichi, but are you really willing to risk using him for something like this? What happens if you miscalculate?" Rukia exclaimed with a hiss, pulling Ichigo down by his ear until he was at her level.

"Yes Rukia, I'm going to trust him. He's agreed to this." Ichigo did his best to reassure, without letting Rikichi overhear or it might ruin the point of using Junichi. "Look, Junichi likes Hanataro, and by extension Rikichi; this was actually his idea. Junichi will not hurt him, no matter if he calls the name or not, but we can't let him know that. Remember finding your own Shikai? The key to finding it in a limited time is desperation, as long as he believes he is in danger he will find it, but I promise you Junichi and I have this under control. Plus I already promised Byakuya that nothing would happen to him, and I don't want to piss your brother off again when I think I might have managed to earn a little respect from him."

She took a deep breath, "Fine, but I don't like this, and I think I need to watch this. If I turn away now I will always be second guessing Junichi and you."

"You need to have more faith in yourself," Ichigo added lowly as he straightened up. "You've already accepted what you're saying, but you don't want to admit it."

"And how can you possibly know that?" She huffed.

He tossed a damning sentence back over his shoulder, "Because you've been calling my Hollow by his name since you tackled me earlier."


	12. Headstrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victory is sweet.

Sweat was streaming down the faces of the young Shinigami, their trainers looking on with pride. Ichigo took a measuring look at Rikichi and heard Junichi agree with his assessment, "He can handle one more time King."

With that, Ichigo clawed his hand down his face and called his mask, joining with his Hollow, Junichi leaping into the fray of battle with a cry of delight that translated into a fear-invoking roar externally. The previous look of determination on the Sixth squad officer was replaced momentary with fear before dogged perseverance took over.

Rikichi's plain sword smacked into Tensa over and over again, not backing down from his Hollow possessed trainer despite every instinct in his mind screaming at him to do so. Junichi pressed into him ever harder with each swing and dodge, pushing him further into the corner, trapping him at the point of desperation needed to reach Shikai in a short amount of time.

If Junichi really wanted to the barely trained Soul Reaper could have been nothing but a blood splatter under his power, but that wasn't his intention. The sheer amount of control the Hollow was displaying in his ability to hold back, as he had to have been for Rikichi to still be alive after multiple rounds against him, was going a long way to reassuring the watching Rukia. She had watched Junichi fight before, when Ichigo was first learning to control his power, she knew he was far more powerful then he was displaying now. In truth he was only fighting on about a Lieutenant's level at the moment, but the fear the mask invoked, coupled with the fact Rikichi didn't even know his sword's name meant the young squad member was doing remarkably well all things considered.

After all Kisuke had pushed Ichigo with the level of a Captain yes, but lets not forget that Ichigo himself had discovered Zangetsu's name and release, Ichigo might not have known that meant he had a Shikai, but Kisuke did.

Junichi was enjoying the challenge of holding back while still terrifying his opponent. King wasn't afraid of him anymore, a necessity of their survival with their sanity intact in Heuco Mundo, but a part of him did miss the thrill of having the person he was fighting fear him. He knew he wouldn't hurt Rikichi, and by extension so did his King, but the Shinigami didn't; thus he could relish in his terror invoking strength again.

When Ichigo's mask shattered for the last time that day, Rikichi collapsed to the ground gasping for breath, his muscles screaming in protest at the pain; he had pushed himself as far as he could possibly go and it showed. Yet there was a smile on his face, and his sword was clutched protectively against his chest; despite the pain and fatigue he still felt the thrill of getting stronger.

"I heard her today," He finally managed to gasp out, explaining his smile.

"You are progressing well," Ichigo complemented, "I suspect you need one more day of this and you will hear her name." He judged. Rikichi was truly pushing himself very hard, having Hanataro right next to him also throwing himself into the training whole heartedly was doing exactly what Ichigo had suspected it would by motivating the both of them to work harder and faster.

As he turned around to check on Rukia and Hanataro, Renji having gone back to his duties with the Sixth, he felt the telltale spike of power signifying the approach of a familiar person. "Looks like the two of you are getting a break, Retsu is checking up on us today."

"Hana will be happy to see her," Rikichi noted with another tired smile, still not moving from the spot he had fallen. Ichigo was quietly thinking it might not be a bad thing to have the healing Captain do a quick check up on both his students to make sure he wasn't pushing them too hard; just because they wanted to learn that fast didn't their bodies felt the same way. Retsu had used a very effective method to pound that lesson into his skull.

The sedate Captain made her way towards him easily enough, avoiding the cloud of dust that was Hanataro training for the moment, "I came to see how things were progressing, I see you have things under control; I had faith you would." She looked at the puddle o' tired Shinigami on the ground. "This isn't entirely unexpected, the fact I don't have more patching up to do is a testament to the fact they are learning from you and not venturing into some of the more rough and rowdy squads."

She finished speaking and knelt next to Rikichi in the same breath, Ichigo getting a picture of Kenpachi in his mind when she spoke of rough and rowdy squads, "Thank you, it means a lot that you thought I could do this, but I was just thinking that it might not be a bad idea to have these two looked over to make sure I wasn't pushing them too hard. You did a very good job teaching me that."

Her softly glowing healing Kido was moving over Rikichi now, and she refrained from responding until she had the spell settled into a steady pattern, "Judging by Rikichi you are pushing them at a fast but reasonable pace for your goal. His body is strained, but he is young and strong enough to handle it, neither Rikichi nor Hanataro had any outstanding health concerns prior to this that would make this kind of stress dangerous for them or I wouldn't have cleared them for training. You seemed to have survived your own first rounds of training without a great deal of harm, they will be just as fine or possibly better since they have someone teaching them that has been through all the stages before."

"How do you feel Rikichi? It's the third day, by the end of today Hanataro will have his Bankai, and tomorrow you will have your Shikai one way or the other; do you still fell the same way about this that you did when we started?" Ichigo asked switching focus back to his student now that Retsu cleared him health wise, trusting her judgment above all others; not sure if he was referring to only healing with that.

"Absolutely," He responded without hesitation, the healing already showing with the steadying of his voice. "I want to be able to protect us, all of us, I will never let something like that happen again!" He stated firmly.

"Good attitude, just, don't let it consume you or you'll burn out." Ichigo warned, all too familiar with the feeling. "Remember that sometimes it's okay to ask for help, and you have friends and support for the moments when you can't be strong anymore."

"I take it that's a new attitude," Rikichi noticed.

"Very new," Ichigo admitted, "But it is a much better way to live than the way I used to. You can't carry the burden of everyone else's safety on your shoulders completely alone or you will not be able to forgive yourself if something happens to you. By making yourself the only protector, you inadvertently make yourself the weak link in the chain."

"You should listen to him," Retsu added calmly, "Some lessons are not worth the price of learning in person."

Rikichi was beginning to nod when the three of them noticed the lack of dust in the air, and there was a collective stopping of hearts when they realized what that meant. The trio set off with Rikichi in the lead towards where Rukia and Hanataro had been training, the raven haired squad Thirteen Lieutenant was standing next to Kisuke's invention looking intently at a spot several yard's away in the clearing dust; Hanataro at the center of it clutching a much changed weapon.

"Hana! Oh, Hana you better be alright," Rikichi shouted as he ran up to the stunned Shinigami trailing the others.

"Riki, look, I found him; my Bankai Heika Hisagomaru." Hanataro replied in a dazed tone staring down at his weapon; Ichigo approaching the pair carefully to get a better look.

Hanataro's Bankai presented itself more like Tensa than most others he had seen, in that the blade was relatively small for being a second release; it was a double ended glaive. The main edge of the weapon was long and wickedly curved, the blade itself as long as Ichigo's arm; while the smaller edge was double sided and came to a point like a dagger after approximately six inches. The entire length of Heika Hisagomaru was about a foot longer than Hanataro if he stood up straight. It looked cruel and dangerous, but essentially, to the unsuspecting observer it appeared to be a Shikai.

Hanataro stared down at his Bankai, "I can attack now, that's what the bigger side is for, but the small side is for healing. If I pierce or cut a wounded soul with that side it will heal instantly, no wait time or fill limit."

"That's great Hana, you will still be able to help people no matter which level you are at," Rikichi hugged him tightly, kissing his brow swiftly, before pulling away to ask, "So did your Zanpakuto spirit tell you how the attack would work?"

"I can't attack an already injured opponent, Heika will not allow me to kick a dog while their down, but the more pain an opponent has caused to others, the more damage Heika can cause. He can measure and determine our strike limit in an instant. The attack is an amplified version of my strike in Shikai when the gage is full." He explained slowly, as Retsu unobstructively checked him over for any problems the intense three days of training may have caused him. It seemed to Ichigo's still mostly untrained eyes that he had managed to come through alright, aside from a few singe marks.

"I was right then, it sounds like your Bankai is a lot like my Tensa," Ichigo evaluated.

"I guess," Hanataro responded uncertainly.

"Yes," Retsu confirmed, "They both use the same type of energy condensation and manipulation, an unusual but useful type of Bankai, it typically lasts longer than the flashier ones in battle."

"Now I really can't wait to see my Shikai, I'm so close, I can hear her voice speaking to me, but her name is still hidden from me." Rikichi frustration bled into his voice as he spoke.

"Well for now the two of you are making amazing progress, so I want you to take tonight off to relax and remember why you are doing this. Have some time together, get yourself back in shape for tomorrow, because there won't be anything holding us back after this," Ichigo advised.

"If we are doing so well, why are we stopping?" Rikichi ground out in frustration.

"Because this will be the last good opportunity for a break we will have before we need to be done with training, so take advantage of it, if it makes you feel better tomorrow I am bringing Jyuushiro and Shunsui with me. You will be ready for them then." He wanted them motivated, but not so exhausted they couldn't get anything out of the lessons anymore.

"Come on Riki, spend some time with me," Hanataro encouraged, slipping his hand into Rikichi's and both Retsu and Ichigo had to hide smiles as the Sixth squad officer melted at the words and gestures, submitting to his desire.

"If that's what you want," Rikichi conceded, following him to the back of the cavern and the waiting hot spring.

"Such good boys, they will make fine Shinigami," Retsu commented, "You are doing a very good job with them. I see you are applying your new lessons equally as well as your old ones."

"I can only try, I don't want to see them make the same mistakes," Ichigo responded softly; humbled by her words.

"Now you know what the rest of us felt when we saw you falling apart and you fought so hard against letting any of us in to help you." She pointed out.

He rubbed the back of his neck guiltily, "I guess I owe you guys an apology."

Soft laughter, "Oh you are more than merely apologizing for that grief by doing this for Hanataro and Rikichi. In passing on the lessons we taught you, it shows us how much our gift to you was appreciated." Retsu assured.

"It was very much appreciated," Ichigo rushed to respond, hoping the rise of red onto his face wouldn't be spotted for what it was, but of course Retsu was too quick to be fooled.

"I knew they would be good for you, now why don't you go take your own advice and enjoy a night off? Those two will be too distracted to notice your absence I suspect." Retsu teased.

Ichigo's blush spread rapidly hearing that, but he attempted to keep himself from reacting too badly beyond that, "You're probably right, I could use a break."

"So what are you waiting for?" Retsu urged, her slight smile sending him on his way, blush growing ever darker.

Any residual embarrassment left him however when he arrived back at the Thirteenth to find Jyuushiro in his office going over a roll of parchment, training reports if Ichigo was judging it correctly, the white haired Captain's brow was furrowed in concentration and his shoulders were hunched as he read.

"You know if you keep going like that, you will work yourself sick and Retsu will be after all of our hides, again," Jyuushiro actually jumped a bit, he must have been truly absorbed in the reports for him not to feel Ichigo's approach at all, and that immediately put the younger man on high alert. "Is everything alright."

His lover looked torn, debating whether to answer, before eventually erring on the side of informing Ichigo, "No everything is not alright, we are getting reports of Arrancar being spotted in the Living World. No Humans have been injured, but more than the typical number of plus souls have been coming under attack by Hollows, we assume it is the work of Aizen's army. The reports of higher numbers of attacks on plus souls make sense, but the fact they are not attacking even those living humans with high spirit energy, we just don't know what is going through his head; it is causing stress for all of the Captains."

Ichigo thought over the report, and once he thought he had it understood checked his assumptions, "So Aizen has gotten over the setback of losing me as a pawn, and is starting a new plan, whatever it is. He is sending Arrancar into the living world, but they are only touching souls, not humans." At Jyuushiro's nod, he continued on. "Is there any chance the Arrancar are some kind of scout or spy, and by not attacking living humans they are attempting to stay under the Soul Society's radar?"

"Possibly, but I doubt it, we track all spirits. No, this is far more calculated than that. It's like they are trying to track and preserve the people for something, I can't help thinking whatever that is can't possibly be a good thing." Jyuushiro admitted candidly.

"Remember me asking if Yamamoto might allow a few of the Espada to stay here if they needed a place away from Aizen?" Another nod, "Now might be a good time to start working on that. We need to know what's going on, and who better to know than the people who know Aizen best?"

"I have to ask, how do you plan on getting in touch with the Espada again?" The worry came through louder than a scream in his voice.

Ichigo's smirk became tinged with darkness as Junichi came to the forefront, "I won't find them, they will find us. I have a feeling the Espada are at the center of the trouble in the Living World, Aizen wouldn't leave the execution of one of his plans in the hands of a nobody. If it is not Grimmjow behind it, all I have to do is goad the one it is by saying I'm looking to challenge the Sexta in another battle. I know how the Espada work now, they will not be able to resist grumbling about the insult during the meetings meaning Grimmjow will hear and understand that I need to talk to him. We'll probably end up fighting before the conversation is over, but at least the message will get passed."

"I don't know, sounds like a lot to pin on a chance that a single person will gossip in the right place." Jyuushiro wasn't used to plans with such a large basis resting on faith.

"It's only a small chance if you don't know the people, I do, and these people will talk. Trust me, if you want to anger an Espada, tell them you would prefer fighting a different one in the middle of a battle; it is a serious blow to their egos especially if Grimmjow would happen to be lower in rank then the person I was goading." Ichigo reassured, going up and hugging Jyuushiro from behind, kissing his neck softly, unknowingly mirroring a move Shunsui loved to do.

"I trust you," Jyuushiro relaxed back against him, "I just don't want you dealing with more than you should have to. Some Espada are working against Aizen, the fact you are here safe with us proves that, but there are still some loyal to that traitor; it is you coming against one of those Espada that I fear. There is nothing holding them back from killing you."

"If you consider Junichi and Zangetsu nothing, than sure there is nothing protecting me, and now I have you and Shunsui. I think it is safe to say I am in a much more defensible position that I was before, even if I am not in Soul Society. I can't imagine Yamamoto is going to stall much longer before deploying some of us to deal with the rising threat in the Living World, since I am the only one that is still technically alive, it really should be me don't you think?" Ichigo pointed out.

"Okay fine, you win, we do this your way," Jyuushiro caved. Partly from the words, and the rest because Ichigo had started to massage a particularly tense knot of muscle in the middle of shoulders, right along the spine, that was nearly impossible to work out by himself. He was melting into a puddle of sighing goo in the hands of the substitute with the caring ministrations. "Now that's just not fair," He had the presence of mind to say as his eyes started to slide closed.

"I warned you that you were going to work yourself sick, I'm just trying to make sure that doesn't happen." Ichigo's smirk was heard in his mischievous voice as well as seen on his face.

A new voice startled the both of them, "Alright just what are you trying to get away with now Ichi?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, he was working himself too hard again, I was just getting him to relax a bit." Ichigo turned to look at Shunsui, flashing him a grin, without stopping his work on Jyuushiro's tense muscles; he really had worked himself into a painful mess.

Shunsui's laughter rang through the room, and soon Ichigo's shoulder were draped with pink silk, as well as the additional but welcome weight of a familiar arm, "Oh, why do I not quite believe that? You see I am a bit familiar with are Jyuu's weak spots, and you seem to have found them rather quickly. So what is it? What little favor did you have to use the ultimate persuasion a la backrub to get your way?" He teased, leaning more and more of his weight onto Ichigo as he spoke to make his point.

"Nothing, it was nothing," Ichigo was quick to defend, too quick, more weight pressed down, and a heavy silence descended until he let out a sigh. "Fine, I have a plan to contact Grimmjow and get started on my idea to bring the Espada to Soul Society, or at least have enough contact with them to exchange information. We need to know what is going on with Aizen that he is sending Arrancar into the Living World."

"Seems reasonable," Shunsui allowed, "So what part don't you like Jyuu?" He redirected, knowing Jyuushiro didn't panic over nothing.

"He wants to goad an Espada and rely on chance that the message actually gets through to the right person," Jyuushiro clarified the plan.

"Yeah that could be a problem," Shunsui nodded along, "We don't typically try to make our enemies even more angry than they already are, and I know you don't care for him not having a clear plan for what follows."

Ichigo felt he had to break in, "But it is clear, I know it will work." He defended yet again.

Shunsui shot him a searching look, and after a few moments, "Alright I'm willing to side with him on that point, I think he knows what he is doing there Jyuu. To me the more difficult point will be the goading of the Espada, which one are you trying to tangle with?" During their time together Ichigo had slowly informed them of the different Espada, all of them had some nasty abilities it wouldn't be a good idea to provoke, but the truly powerful ones were definitely a bad idea.

"I don't know," Ichigo confessed, "I'll admit that's the weak part of the plan, Jyuushiro only just now told me about the trouble in the Living World, so I couldn't pinpoint anything that might give away which Espada is babysitting the other Arrancar. I kind of doubt it would be Grimmjow, it would be nice for us if it was, but Aizen probably wouldn't trust him to not get bored and start causing mayhem. I would expect more on the lines of Ulquiorra, Harribel, Arroniero, or possibly Starrk. Harribel or Starrk might be reasoned with, Starrk hates fighting, and Harribel only does it when she has a good reason to. Ulquiorra follows orders, he is a loyal dog for the most part, and Arroniero isn't much better but he would be a good choice in babysitter considering all the lower Arrancar are terrified of him since he eats them."

"If we let you go through with this plan and you came against them in a fight, how do you think you would fair against them in a fight?" Jyuushiro asked seriously, realizing they couldn't persuade him to completely drop this somewhat foolhardy idea, so they might as well see how thorough he was thinking it through.

Ichigo slowly gave his answer, thinking it through as he replied, confirming his intelligence with forming a viable plan on the spot. Reaffirming Shunsui and Jyuushiro's assessment that Ichigo would make an excellent Captain someday. "If it did come down to combat, I would be dust against Starrk if he got serious, good thing he doesn't 99.9 percent of the time. I think he would realize that I was trying to pass a message the moment I mentioned Grimmjow though, he might be too lazy to fight, but he is anything but stupid. Harribel and I would be close, I think she would win in a completely serious fight, but like Starrk I think she would realize what I was trying to do. The problem would come when they realize it, I don't know if they are completely loyal to Aizen, or more loyal to the fact they actually have a home for once. The other two are ones I am completely sure are loyal to Aizen. Ulquiorra I think I can beat, it would be hard, but I can win if I have Zangetsu and Junichi. He is the one most likely to blow a fuse if I mention Grimmjow while fighting him, those two hate each other the most out of the Espada, although Grimmjow and Nnoitra spar the most it is more of a friendly rivalry, as much as those things exist in Las Noches. As for Aaroniero, I can honestly say I think that guy gives me the creeps more than Szayel and he has a fetish for dissecting things. I can fight him, but you have to keep in mind when fight him you are not fighting one but many, it is truly difficult despite him not being as spiritual powerful as the others. He will want to gloat that I compared him to Grimmjow, passing the message through him will be a little different, but it will still get where it needs to go."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but okay, I think the plan could work," Jyuushiro agreed. "And by the way, I never doubted your ability to know what was right, I just never want to see you hurt ever again."

"Same here," Shunsui seconded. "And to that end, don't think for one second we are going to let you do this by yourself."

"That's more of a relief than you know, so how do you suggest changing it so I come out with my neck intact?" Ichigo felt his body relax from tension he hadn't realized he had assumed during his planning.

"Simple, I'm coming with you," Shunsui responded with a grin.

Ichigo let out a sigh, "As much as I would love that, I have two words for you that describe what's in the way of that."

"Oh, and what are they?" Shunsui asked curiously.

Ichigo replied with a sad little smile and, "Captain Yamamoto. How do you expect him to release you from your Captain's duties just to follow me, without telling him why you want to so badly?"

The blinding grin from Shunsui was more than a little unexpected, "Oh, you see, I came over here to tell Jyuushiro here something, and when I found you here it was a happy bonus. I happen to have been given an assignment, one to the living world, Hitsugaya served well last time, but this time Yama thought my skills would serve better in the field."

Both Jyuushiro and Ichigo came to the right conclusion at the same time, but the Captain beat the Substitute in speaking, "He expects fighting this time around, and not skirmishes, real battle."

"Yes, and I wouldn't be surprised if you get a summons soon too. You will be needed for relay duty again, you are the best at it, oh and be prepared to use Squad Two members as gophers again. He is making war time preparations without being obvious about it. Only the older ones have been through one too many wars not to notice. Retsu is already adding more beds in the healing barracks and stepping up her squad's training regimen." Shunsui warned.

"Did Yamamoto say anything about when?" Ichigo was worried about keeping his promise to Hanataro and Rikichi, they still had another week left in the training.

"Two more weeks, don't worry, your training program will finish. There are a number of Captains very interested in the results, I even suspect Old Man Yama might know about it and wants to see it himself, otherwise we might have already been sent out." Shunsui reassured.

Ichigo felt guilt hit him like a punch to the gut, "So if someone gets hurt out there, it's my fault?" He couldn't stop himself from asking.

"NO!" Both Captains shouted at the same time, but Jyuushiro was the one to continue, "No, it is not your fault, you may have started the training program, but you did the right thing by getting permission from the Captains of their squads and health clearances along the way. If you finish the training now it is with the full backing of the people with authority higher than your own, including Yamamoto most likely, and at the very least their personal Captains. So continue until they are withdrawn by a summons, otherwise they are exactly where they are most needed. Think about it, if we really are on the brink of war, what better place is there to be but being trained into higher levels of power? And just because you are busy doesn't mean Yamamoto couldn't have sent an advance team down to keep an eye on things until you were finished, we still have some time, so relax and give that training your all."

Ichigo took a deep breath to steady his racing heart, "Okay, sorry for panicking."

"We understand Ichigo, it means you care, it's reassuring to see actually." Shunsui complimented, drawing him in for a hug, pressing their foreheads together. "I'll let you in on a Captain's secret, we all have those moments of panic when our Squad members are hurt or missing, the guilt and worry can be nearly overwhelming, but that is what makes us worthy to lead them. A leader who doesn't get that feeling isn't going to hesitate before sending a subordinate into a situation they can't fight their way out of. Both Jyuushiro and I have lost our Lieutenants to situations we couldn't control, and we still feel the ache of their loss. My Lisa is still alive but banished, and there is not a day that goes by that I do not want to grovel at her feet and beg for forgiveness. I should have gone instead of her. She is the only Lieutenant who was banished without her Captain."

"Kaien did not want to be a Lieutenant, I talked him into it, and in the end I let him down twice. First I let his wife die, and in the end I was too weak to end it myself; Rukia had to carry the guilt of the act. That is truly the reason I believe I should hand in my Captain's haori, if I couldn't even spare my Squad members that kind of pain, I do not deserve to be called a Captain." Jyuushiro added onto Shunsui's story, joining the embrace, fitting into their arms easily, like puzzle pieces waiting to be finished.

"If you are coming to the Living World, I can bring you to Lisa Shunsui," Ichigo promised, before turning his attention fully to Jyuushiro, wrapping him up in his arms, feeling Shunsui copying him from the other side so the slim Captain was completely cocooned by them. "You listen to me Jyuushiro Ukitake, you earned that Haori so many times over, and that night was just another night you earned it again. Yes Rukia had to make the final strike that ended Kaien's life, but your illness became her strength. She pushed herself so hard after that so that she could please his memory, and look where she is now. She doesn't speak of you as weak, she only spoke of your strength, your wisdom, and she loves you as her Captain. She loves being in the Thirteenth Squad, is just as proud of this Squad as she is of the Kuchiki name. Don't you ever think you are not worthy of being a Captain."

Jyuushiro opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Shunsui, "Sorry Jyuu, it's two against one now, you are just going to have to believe us now. You earned your position."

"You two are incorrigible," He said in exasperation.

"But you love us," Shunsui teased.

Jyuushiro couldn't help but laugh, "Yes I do." And to prove it he leaned up to kiss Ichigo first, long and deep, before breaking it and leaning back to capture Shunsui's lips in a slow and sensuous kiss.

"Hmmm, your room or mine?" Shunsui asked in a husky voice.

"Mine, closer," Jyuushiro responded breathlessly, Ichigo nodding along, following the tumble of pseudo drunken limbs and kisses from Jyuushiro's office to his quarters. If Sentaro and Kiyone saw anything, they didn't say a word to anyone, respecting their precious Captain's privacy.

The moon rose, stars came out, and the cicadas' song filled the air, but the trio were too lost in each other to notice. Drinking in the feel of bodies, the whisper of breath, the sound of sweet whispers chasing away devilish memories. No need for fireworks or battle, this was a symphony just for them, but it was perfect in its composition.

Sated and satisfied they drifted off in each other's embrace, looked forward to a day of discovery and training, it had been too long for the Captains to have eager students, and to watch Ichigo teach was a different kind of perfection. Their lover was amazing in what he did, and the truly thrilling part about him was his potential was only just now being tapped, he was brimming with it. The humbling part was the sheer humility he had, a warm humanity that showed despite his power and intelligence he either didn't realize his uniqueness or didn't think it made much of a difference, people were people and that was all that mattered.


	13. For Your Entertainment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little spar never hurt

"Hey Jyuu, want to wager that Ichigo will break Toushiro's record for youngest Captain?" Shunsui asked casually, as they watched the youngest in their trio, along with Junichi, push Rikichi through the final stages of gaining his Shikai. Hanataro waiting with the two Captains, chewing on his fingernails in his nervousness; this being the first day he had actually watched his love face down the Hollowfied Ichigo.

Jyuushiro chuckled, grabbing the anxious Hanataro's attention for a moment before he went back to his fidgeting, "No bet Shun, if it wasn't for the fact he had responsibilities in the Living World, he would have already been admitted to the Academy if not privately trained given his extreme learning curve."

A nod from Shunsui, "Yeah, but the Academy can fail and teachers may become jealous if their pupils surpass them too quickly; and I'm confident that would happen in Ichigo's case with just about any teacher you threw at him that wasn't at least Captain level and even that might not last long. It is better he learn this way, on his own path, and in the process of showing others what he can do. I think this will make him worthy of the title of Captain much sooner than any other method."

"You are probably right," Jyuushiro agreed, "He does think better on the run than if he sat down and planned things in advance, or at least rigidly deciding what absolutely must be done when."

Shunsui glanced at Jyuushiro out of the corner of his eye, the white haired Captain too engrossed in watching Ichigo teach Rikichi to notice the action, and he took a few seconds to weigh his next comment before deciding to say it at all. "You still have doubts about his plan to contact the Espada don't you?" The comment about Ichigo's planning skills had sent a red flag up in Shunsui's mind that all his worries hadn't been settled yet.

"Of course I do! I can't believe you don't!" The near violent outburst wasn't completely unexpected by Shunsui, but Hanataro startled out of his nervous fidgeting to stare at the normally sedate man. "Ichigo keeps putting himself in harm's way again and again, I don't want to stand by while he does it this time when we should be the ones protecting him. This is our war, not his, unfortunately Aizen has now made it personal so asking him to back down would be tantamount to saying what happened to him isn't worth getting angry about. Despite knowing that, I still don't want him anywhere near any of the people who hurt him while he was held captive, you heard his stories, every single one of the Espada were put in that arena with him. You can't tell me that isn't going to leave scars on his mind that will open up when he sees them again, and it will leave him vulnerable should the Espada he finds be truly working for Aizen."

Shunsui stopped his tirade by placing a hand on each shoulder and touching their foreheads together, leaving Jyuushiro gasping for air after the long speech. "Please calm down before you get sick again, that really will distract Ichigo and worry me, also I do understand what you are saying but please listen to us. I will not leave him alone for one second in the Living World, he will have me or his father by him at all times; you remember how strong Isshin was. Ichigo may have been taken once, but now that we know he is a definite target for abduction we can take preventative measures we didn't know were needed before. As for actually meeting the Espada, we will have to take him at his word that he can handle that side of the plan, and I am prepared to do that for the very reason you are afraid for him."

"I don't understand, why let him do this?" Jyuushiro had drained most of his energy in the rant, and was now laying his head on Shunsui's shoulder in tiredness.

"Because since he has fought all of them before, weaponless at that, he knows their strength better than anyone with the exception of Aizen. There isn't a single other person not in Heuco Mundo that has come against all the Espada and lived to tell about it. They may have been told not to kill him by Aizen, but Ichigo still knows how to measure abilities and spiritual pressure during a fight. I am also willing to trust his instincts that if he came against the Espada that are too strong for him, they could be reasoned with in ways other than fighting. In other words if anyone is going to know how to handle the Espada it will be Ichigo, plus to be perfectly honest I don't see any other way of getting in contact with the rebels on Aizen's side, and that really is the most viable plan we have for destabilizing his forces. You've read the reports something is happening in the Living World, he is gearing up for a major attack, and if this works we can be a step ahead of him and hopefully stop him before it starts." Shunsui finished his explanation while carding his fingers through Jyuushiro's hair to comfort him.

A resigned sigh followed the assurances, "I wasn't going to stop the two of you, I know it needs to be done, but I am not going to pretend I'm happy about it. I care too much about him, and you, to let the two of you go off on a mission this dangerous without me and not be scared out of my mind."

"Ahh, so that's what it is," Shunsui realized, "You are upset because Old Man Yama's orders mean you have to stay here right?"

"Everything I said before was true, but if I can't be with you two, then there isn't anything I can do about it," Jyuushiro admitted. "If I brought up my wish to travel to the Living World my motivations would be questioned since my squad has never been in the front lines of fighting; not with my pacifism policy. If I were to suddenly change habits it would put us in danger from our side along with Aizen and we just can't risk that."

A third voice interrupted them, soft and tentative as it was, "Um, excuse me, I didn't mean to eavesdrop but you were so close I could hear. Captain Ukitake, if you are worried about how much support Ichigo will have in the Living World I can tell you that you don't have to. He won't just have the team sent from Soul Society backing him up, but he will also have his friends there too; and you know many of them used to be Captains themselves. I have seen how he fights when he doesn't have a plan, I can only assume that because he does have a clue what he is doing this time it will only make him safer." Hanataro carefully explained what he had witnessed in an effort to help calm the two Captains.

Both Captains were momentarily stunned by Hanataro's interruption, but soon recovered and looked thoughtful as the words hit them smoothly. "You've been to the Living World with him before, when Toushiro headed the investigation, I know that, but how much fighting did you see involving his friends? We saw them during the time they were Ryoka, but we don't know anything about how they have improved," Shunsui had taken the lead in questioning him.

"They're strong." Hanataro assured, "Not as strong as a Captain yet I don't think, but they could probably match the Lieutenants. Plus they don't fight alone. When they are together they are stronger. They have more control now that they did before, and that is only going to get better." The analysis was hesitant, but very thorough, proving they had asked the right person about it.

"Wow Hanataro, didn't expect you to talk that way!" Another interruption forced its way into the conversation.

"Renji!" The protest came from three people at once, the Captains being far more forceful in Hanataro's defense.

The tattooed Lieutenant shrugged and walked closer to them, "What? It's true! I didn't expect it, but I do like it." He clapped a hand on Hanataro's slumped shoulder; making him wince.

"I like knowing what's happening with my friends, so I can be there to heal them if they need me. I don't like telling the information to just anyone because they don't know I have it and can't give permission, but they were really worried about Ichigo and what I know could help them." Hanataro justified himself, surprising the Captains who expected him to either accept the teasing or protest in some other way; this was a new side to Hanataro. He went about it the wrong way, but maybe Renji did have a point in highlighting the growing confidence in him.

"Thank you Hanataro, we appreciate it," This time Jyuushiro's much gentler hand dropped on his shoulder and squeezed in a gesture of thanks.

"What's got yah so worked up? Is Ichigo alright?" Renji asked in concern, sobering up a bit from his playful mood.

"He wants us to let him bait an Espada," Shunsui admitted, "There is a reason for it, but all the same it really is not a good idea to make the person you are already fighting even angrier."

Renji gritted his teeth, "Yeah sounds like something Ichigo would pull, and I understand why you're worried, but he has managed to fight his way through the impossible so many times it would be an insult to doubt him now."

"You may have a point," Jyuushiro admitted, a tad grudgingly.

"Look, wanting to protect him is fine," Renji continued, "But don't forget it is still Ichigo we are talking about. He is not going to change who he is because of Aizen, it will only make him fight harder."

"Ah, sorry to stop you, I know it's important; but look!" Hanataro urged strongly, pointing to the battle in front of them.

Junichi and Ichigo had Rikichi pinned against the far wall, bearing down on him hard, only the blade stopping the advance was no longer the simple Katana his Zanpakuto had always been. Instead Rikichi held a segmented metal fan that spanned the width of his body, each segment serrated along the cutting edge, but the most eye-catching thing about his Zanpakuto was the fan gave off a red-hot glow like it was still molten; or it was burning from the inside out.

At the point where Rikichi's fan met Tensa they could see the glowing ember catch hold and begin to spread up the Daito blade; Ichigo quickly pulling away before too much damage could be inflicted on his precious Tensa.

All four spectators wasted no time in getting to student and teacher, Hanataro tackling Rikichi, "You did it Riki!" He praised, not letting go of his love despite the sweat and grime coating him from the intense sparring match, nothing mattered except the fact they had both succeeded and came out on the other side without significant injury; a little dirt wouldn't interfere with the celebration.

Jyuushiro and Shunsui were more interested in looking over the newly reveled Shikai still held loosely in Rikichi's hand, it allowed them to give the couple a bit of privacy by diverting their attention elsewhere.

It really was intimidating to see, unlike Yumichika's false Shikai that was four separate blades that fanned out, this looked like a traditional joined fan, only instead of creased paper, it was purely metal and sharp edges. The glow was worth a second inspection all by itself, as it was a manifestation of the fire element they hadn't run across before, it was extremely hot without obvious flame. Interesting. Also from the brief contact it had made with Tensa Zangetsu it was capable of burning or melting other Zanpakuto; regardless if it was a Shikai or Bankai.

Yamamoto would certainly be intrigued by this Shikai, as he was for all newly discovered fire Zanpakuto due to his possession of Ryojin Jakka. Toushiro was the same for ice Zanpakuto, and Byakuya for wind. The only problem would come from the more exposure Rikichi had to the Head Captain the more dangerous it would be for him, his secrets could be found out and persecuted.

"I think it would be a good idea to keep the nature of your Shikai quiet, for as long as possible," Jyuushiro advised, different scenarios running through his head.

Looking down at the fan in his hand and back up to the Captain, Rikichi asked, "Why? What would hiding it do?" A lot of his reluctance was driven by the amount of effort he had used to get it in the first place; to pretend it didn't exist rubbed him the wrong way.

Jyuushiro's eyes softened as he realized what the problem was, "I know you don't like it, but it will be far safer for you if you keep it secret; most of the Lieutenants do this. Actually, a good majority of the high ranking officers make the attempt to keep their release hidden; the element of surprise in a battle can mean the difference between victory and defeat. I can't say that's the only reason though, for you, a fire Zanpakuto will draw Yamamoto's attention, and I don't think I have to explain why that might be a bad thing."

"You've both done great, let's not waste all that effort by risking exposure," Ichigo added, mask disintegrated as Junichi returned to the background.

"But Ichigo, Captain Ukitake, how are we going to hide this? Didn't you say before the Head-Captain probably already knows about our training, wouldn't he be interested to know the results?" Hanataro objected in concern, worried hiding would only bring more danger to them.

Renji was the one to answer him, "Even if that was the case, you would still be safe. Don't you remember Hanataro? Whenever we achieve a new sword release we are supposed to report it to the Captain of our squad, who then takes it to the Head-Captain so it's on record, however there is nothing in the rules that says we have to tell them exactly what our Shikais or Bankais are capable of. I would let our Captain know, he wouldn't betray you, but we can report the success of training without revealing your abilities."

"Is he really going to allow that in this case?" Rikichi was started to gain a little hope, but was still cautious. "I mean sure it would work under normal circumstances, but this isn't normal is it?"

"With Jyuushiro and I backing you up, and if we get Byakuya to help, then we can keep you safe. All we have to do is remind him that no matter the oddity of the situation he still had to respect the rules. He shouldn't be allowed to break them to satisfying his own curiosity; that is a definite abuse of power he could be called out on by any of us Captains." Shunsui analyzed.

Ichigo reached out ruffled their hair, relaxing them out of their tension, "See, everything is going to be alright. Now why don't we get to the fun part of today, Shunsui, Jyuushiro; ready to show them what you can do?"

Twin mischievous grins, "Of course, but who is the opponent?" Jyuushiro asked, looking between Ichigo and Renji.

Ichigo laughed, "Who do you think? You'll be fighting me, and Junichi too if you'd like to really show off. I haven't fought the both of you working together before, I want to see what I can do."

Shunsui smirked, the expression mirrored on Ichigo, "Question? How strong are the shields on this place?"

"Could you feel my Hollowfication before entering Renji?" Ichigo diverted the question.

Renji felt himself grinning along with the rest in excitement, "Not a bit."

"If they can hold back all traces of Junichi we can fight here, at least with you two in Shikai; I wouldn't trust it with Bankai though." Ichigo decided.

Jyuushiro responded then, his own blood pumping faster with anticipation, "Sounds good, we wouldn't bring out our Bankais here anyway. We will show you someday, but an enclosed space is really not a good idea."

"Let's go then, but is it okay for Junichi to join? He really wants to." Ichigo checked, hearing his Hollow clamoring for another good fight.

"They better say yes King, that little Soul Reaper was feisty I'll give him that but he just fired me up; I'm itching for a real fight!" Fighting Rikichi had just wet Junichi's appetite for a good battle.

"I know you are, to be honest I'm feeling the same way; be happy though now we get to really train them since they found their releases." Ichigo attempted to placate his restless Hollow.

"Yeah, yeah, King; I know that, still you can't deny fighting these two would be way better than beaten on the newbies." Junichi continued to grumble.

"Of course you can let him out, he is a part of your power; saying you can't would be like coming against you with one of your arms tied behind your back." Shunsui allowed, Jyuushiro nodding in agreement.

"YES!" Junichi whopped in delight within Ichigo's mind, making his King wince at the volume, and causing Zangetsu to chastise him but none of that could lessen the excitement pouring off the grinning Hollow.

That was all it took for the three combatants to Flash Step away from the spectators; giving themselves the room they knew they would need.

Rikichi tapped Renji's shoulder as they watched them get into their stances, "Renji, ever seen them fight?"

"Not together no, but I have seen enough to know this is gonna be good." He assured while never taking his eyes off the soon to be battlefield not wanting to miss a moment.

It seemed one moment they were simply eyeing each other up, the next they were flying towards each other. Jyuushiro towards Ichigo's right side, Shunsui his left; all of them remaining in Shikai, with Shunsui only drawing one of his blades for the moment to see how Ichigo would hold up under the double sided attack.

Turns out, pretty damn well, dodging Jyuushiro and engaging Shunsui, the clash of metal rang through the air along with their excited laughter. No matter which way they came at him, Ichigo found a way to avoid one and block the other; a vestige of his time street fighting and fending off multiple opponents.

Shunsui had by now drawn his second, and slightly shorter, blade. Now it was more difficult for Ichigo to dodge, having three points to avoid instead of two. Time to switch into Bankai, the increased speed and power now giving him the chance to go on the offensive instead of defensive. He swirled around the two of them, forcing them back to back, taking short measured swipes at them; knowing exactly what he was doing. He wanted their strength to come out too, but they weren't going to go easy; he had to earn their Shikais.

"All waves, Rise now and Become my Shield, Lighting, Strike now and Become my Blade," Jyuushiro chanted, his sword splitting into the familiar joined blades.

"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer," Shunsui finished his command a split second after Jyuushiro, blades widening and extending, red tassels swinging from their hilts.

From there all Hell broke loose. Strike after slash, parry and block, Jyuushiro and Shunsui's tandem attacks pressing Ichigo back step by step, despite the fact he fought like a cornered tiger. They respected each other too much to hold back, they had to trust in each other's ability to repel their attacks.

And Ichigo was doing it, giving ground was expected, but he wasn't giving up; still pressing back despite the pressuring from his loves. God, he had missed fighting like this. He felt himself tapping into his feral side, the one only reinforced by the Espada's beat downs under Aizen's command.

"King! Hey King! Let me out already, I wanna fight!" Junichi railed, reminding his King that h was feeling just as frustrated with all the holding back they had been doing lately.

"Fine!" Ichigo barked back quickly, not wanting to break his concentration to debate with Junichi, instead he clawed his hand across his face and summoned his mask.

Shunsui and Jyuushiro paused momentarily as they felt the dark reddish black power wash over them. It was intense. Exceeding them in power, only lacking refinement, experience was the last thing Ichigo needed to be the deadliest fighter they had ever met.

With a glance at each other they broke through their momentary hesitation and pressed forward, clashing with Tensa. The first Getsuga Tensho released was pointed towards Shunsui initially, until Jyuushiro jumped in front of him, the wave of power swallowed up by the one side, and released by the other with the same color and intensity as the original attack. The only thing that changed was the speed, and Ichigo had to do some quick maneuvering to avoid the speeded up attack.

Junichi giving his power a boost, they were able to push the Captains back a few steps the same as they had done to him earlier, and they fought back just as hard as he did; only they weren't alone in the fight. They took every advantage of their joined skill, morals satisfied in doing this since technically Ichigo wasn't fighting alone either; he had Junichi.

Ichigo began to feel a ray of hope that he might just win, or at least fight them into a tie when both sides were too tired to fight; except that was when his mask began to crumble, and his power dwindle.

Sweating now with the effort of fending off both of them, he kept sending more Getsuga Tenshos at them; knowing they would probably be reflected, but he was past the point of physical fighting. His spiritual stamina was stronger than his physical even now weeks after his escape from Aizen.

And he was partially right, they were still being absorbed, but knowing Ichigo was at his limit, Jyuushiro deflected the returns off to the side. This was a spar not a war and he refused to hurt his love.

At long last they had Ichigo pinned down to the training room floor, all of them breathing heavily, covered in sweat and streaked with blood from shallow wounds.

The three of them were all for curling up right then and there for a restorative nap, when the sound of enthusiastic applause intruded into their foggy minds.

"That was amazing!" Hanataro was the first to speak once they dragged themselves up and over to the watching trio.

"You really think Hana and I can learn to work together like that?" Riki asked next.

Renji finished up the comments with, "That was a great spar, knew it would be, don't think I've ever seen you two fight like that before." The last comment directed towards the Captains.

All three responses earned a weak chuckle from Ichigo and gentle smiles from the Captains, "Thanks Hanataro, and yes Rikichi someday you two will be able to do that; they had to learn too don't forget that." He replied to his students first before addressing Renji, "To be honest I didn't even know what would happen, never fought either one with Junichi involved before."

Shunsui's eyes narrowed as he took in Ichigo's tired form while he answered the questions, something was wrong. "Ichigo, are you feeling alright?"

Turning away from the questioning bunch, e raised an eyebrow, "I'm fine, just tired, why?"

"I have seen you fight for longer against opponents pressing you harder than we did, and you didn't have to give in because your body gave in. Don't try to tell me that isn't what happened. Your Spiritual Pressure was fine, but you were not." Shunsui challenged.

Jyuushiro had to add on, "I saw it too Ichigo, you fought well, but tired quickly. I think Retsu needs to check and make sure the Seki-Seki is really gone from your system."

"Wait a minute, you could do all that, and you aren't in top form yet?!" Rikichi asked in shock.

Ichigo turned his head away from the accusing stares, not able to meet their eyes, "Their right, I'm not quite back into shape. You don't have to call Retsu though. I will take it easy over the next few days. Well as easy as I can. Remember I had already planned on getting help with training them, I won't get too stubborn; I promise." Ichigo assured.

Both Shunsui and Jyuushiro measured him up in concern, testing his truthfulness, "Alright Ichigo, we will let this go without telling Retsu, but if it stays like this you take yourself to the Fourth and get checked out; deal?" Shunsui decided, but Jyuushiro opened his mouth to protest, stopped only by Shunsui's hand on his shoulder, "Oh and if this doesn't go away, you can say goodbye to your plan of contacting the Espada; I will not let you go through with it unless you are completely back to full strength."

Ichigo gritted his teeth in irritation that his weakness could compromise his plan, but a warm buzz of happiness sparked in his chest as he realized they were protecting him just like he did with everyone else. "Fine, if I still feel bad by the time we are shipped out to the Living World I will let Retsu look me over, and I will wait until I am strong again before taking on any Espada." He eventually agreed.

"Thank you so much!" His agreement was rewarded with a near tackle by Jyuushiro, "Don't you dare scare me like that again!"

"No promises, but I'll try," Ichigo responded, running his hand through white hair, feeling Shunsui drape and arm around him, the other around Jyuushiro.

"Uh, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Renji asked in surprise.

"Yeah, you didn't notice before?" Hanataro replied with a teasing tone, Rikichi pressed into his side. "We've know just by the way they talk about each other. You need to pay more attention."

Renji blushed until his neck blended in with the roots of his hair, "I do pay attention! I just didn't expect it." He defended himself, "I can't say I'm upset about it though, I think they will be good for each other."

"Oh they are," Rikichi agreed, "Just look at them, when was the last time you saw Ichigo that relaxed? Or the Captains with so much hope?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah, they do look a little different," He was rubbing his blushing neck now, trying to will the redness away.

"I can't wait to learn from them. Don't you think so Hana? It's going to be great." Rikichi added, stealing glimpses at the couple while mostly averting his eyes to give them some privacy.

"Of course it will be, look at how far we have come already." Hanataro pointed out, their conversation interrupted shortly after by the trio splitting apart and returning to the present.

"Ah, sorry about that, but we needed to knock some sense into this one," Shunsui apologized, ruffling Ichigo's hair and earning a scowl.

"Hey! I would have taken care of myself, I know how," He protested, attempting to straighten out his hair, but quickly giving up the futile effort.

Jyuushiro's soft voice brought him up short, "Just because you can take care of yourself doesn't mean we are going to let you; that's our job now. We take care of each other."

"Well said," Shunsui agreed, returning his arms to their shoulders, putting himself in between them.

"That's gonna take some time to get used to," Ichigo warned, but he was smiling too, "Protecting you two I can do, I'm used to that, but not you protecting me."

"Looks like you better get used to it Ichigo, they're not letting go," Well here's a surprise, it was Renji.

"So I take it you noticed now?" Ichigo stated drily.

"Kinda hard not to," Renji admitted. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone, they get to figure it out on their own. Oh and congratulations."

Ichigo's smile widened, "You really don't have a problem with this?"

"Should I?" Renji asked incredulously, "Nah, you three look good together, and I've known you too long to object. It's not my place to interfere. Don't know how others might feel, but I don't see anything wrong with it so long as you guys are happy, which you obviously are."

"Thanks Renji," Ichigo replied sincerely.

The Lieutenant just shrugged.

"We appreciate it too by the way," Jyuushiro added.

"No problem," Renji was starting to feel a little flustered at the attention he had brought on himself. "Were you really that concerned about me not accepting it?"

"Maybe not you specifically, but people have reacted badly in the past." Shunsui explained. "It's not a good idea to base things on faith."

"How many people have found about you that they reacted badly? I know I can be oblivious but I don't think I would have missed it had you guys been together for too long?" Renji found himself confused.

Ichigo decided to save his loves for answering, "Renji, they weren't talking about recently." He confessed.

"What?" Momentarily not understanding, until it hit him, "Oh, ohh, this isn't the first time you've done this?" Renji realized.

"No it isn't, this is just the first time we've fit together so well even from the very beginning. It can be a lot of strain, but we have been lucky to find each other." Shunsui took over, this was their story to reveal. He wasn't ashamed of telling it either, it had happened, and many of the memories were happy ones, it was only the partings that were sorrowful.

"Well, you have my support." Renji assured.

"And ours, but you already knew that I think," Hanataro added, with Rikichi nodding.

"Guess that means we don't have to be so careful during training does it?" Shunsui asked hopefully, earning himself a soft smack on the shoulder.

"Oh no you don't affection is fine, but we won't get anywhere training them if you're distracting me every five seconds." Ichigo warned.

"Not to mention Nanao could get a little upset with you abandoning paperwork to come here every day." Jyuushiro helped Ichigo tease Shunsui, making the brunette pout a bit.

"She's going to be coming here too, when it's her and Isane's turn to teach, so she would be a hypocrite for yelling at me," Shunsui decided, nodding emphatically.

"She will be here for a day or two, not every day until the end, perspective is necessary, and don't you think you owe her a few days of you doing her work instead of the other way around?" Ichigo pointed out.

He sighed, "I'm not going to win am I?"

"No," Ichigo agreed, before leaning up to peck his check and whisper in his ear, "But I'll make it up to you later."

Jyuushiro knew enough about them to know when Shunsui's eyes got that look, and Ichigo that blush, they were in for a very nice couple of days once there little plan came to light. He smiled to himself in anticipation.


	14. Erase My Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byakuya does a little explaining.

"Rise Asayake!" Rikichi called, his Shikai revealing itself just in time to intercept Nanao's blade.

While those two were engaged, Isane was sneaking up behind them, ready to strike Rikichi from the opposite side as Nanao. She was nearly in position when a shout came from her left, "Bankai! Heika Hisagomaru!"

Isane had just enough time to twist around before, "Shisatsu Mouka!" The red beam of light shot at her, faster and stronger than she could defend against, causing her to leap out of the way.

Both Nanao and Isane were in Shikai, Rikichi was the more aggressive of the students, while Hanataro was more powerful. When Rikichi attacked he left openings the women could exploit, but Hanataro hung back far enough to see the conjoined attacks, sending a burst of power whenever it was needed.

This was working well as a strategy, until Nanao proved her place and sent her own attack, "Bind Midorieiri!" Green threads of power shot from the tip of her flared sword, hitting Hanataro. He had been too slow to move away, the threads hitting his foot, only to wrap around and force their way up his body. It did no good for Heika to cut through the threads, as soon as he sliced one it just regenerated and continued its path upwards.

Hanataro dropped Heika, struggling against the vines rapidly cocooning him, it was up to his neck before a red hot blade cut between him and Nanao; the burning Zanpakuto cauterizing the vines, preventing them from regenerating. Disconnected from Nanao's Zanpakuto the vines holding Hanataro loosened from around him; disappearing into reishi particles. Soon both Rikichi and Hanataro were back on their feet, facing off against the two women, heavy panting breaths the only disturbance in their otherwise firm stance.

Ichigo interrupted them, "Good work, time to take a break!" He called over during the momentary lull, all four of them returning to his side.

Rikichi was the first to notice the second person standing with Ichigo, "Captain!" He exclaimed happily.

Byakuya acknowledged him, "You fought well, balancing defensive with offensive moves. You are learning quickly."

"Thank the people who've taught me, I wouldn't be this good without them." Rikichi was blushing just as badly as Renji could at hearing his Captain's praise.

"I already have," Byakuya responded, gracefully side-stepping his subordinate's awestruck reaction, "This training is being accomplished with the approval and governing of many high officials, myself included in that. I knew you would be in good hands."

"Thank you Captain Kuchiki," Hanataro voiced his own response to the Captain's praise, more than aware Byakuya did not give out compliments easily. The rare praise adding to his pride at what they had accomplished.

Ichigo was, for once, not focused on his students, instead he was looking over Isane and Nanao, who weren't in much better shape than Rikichi and Hanataro. "They turned out to be better than you were expecting; didn't they?" He teased, knowing the Lieutenants had been surprised at their proficiency. Not knowing about the demonstration the day before, and the motivation they had gotten from it, left them at a disadvantage.

"Don't be so smug Ichigo, it's your fault, you told us they were beginners!" Nanao accused.

"They are," Ichigo defended himself, "We are just getting started." And that was the truth, finding their releases was actually the easy part of this training, learning to use them was the hard part. He was going to mimic Kisuke and work them into the ground while they had time. At least for them he had the backup of several healers wanting to keep his students healthy.

Isane's eyes widened as she realized the truth in his words, "They are going to be Lieutenant level when you are done, at the very least." Their battle had been too close for anything else to happen.

"That's the idea," The smirk was a tad unexpected coming from the usually scowling Ichigo.

Byakuya took the opportunity to interrupt, "I would like to test them myself." He had observed enough to be curious how well they would hold up.

Twin gulps were heard as the two Soul Reapers in question processed the words, "You're joking right?" Hanataro spluttered out before he could think of the consequences.

Byakuya sized up the Fourth Squad officer, making him shrink down on himself, before, "I assure you I am not joking. I want to see your progress, so take a few moments to recover from this round of fighting, and then get ready to face me." He ordered.

Both Rikichi and Hanataro blanched when they realized how serious he was. So much for recovering, they spent the whole time leading up to the fight with Byakuya panicking. Not exactly the most relaxing thing they could do. Ichigo saw this and pulled them to the side a few moments before they faced off, "Listen don't get so worked up, treat this fight just like the one with Nanao and Isane. You did well using that tactic, also remember what I told you before, don't try to win, focus on not losing." He advised before sending them off to the Squad Six Captain.

"That was very good Ichigo," Isane complimented. "I can see why they have responded to you so well."

Ichigo shook his head, "Most of that is from them, I can guide them, but they have to put in the work."

"You make them want to," Nanao informed. "Motivation driven by anger fizzles out quickly, but that same motivation driven by the desire to learn is much stronger. They may have started out self-motivated, but you are the one keeping them that way."

"It's starting," Isane interrupted, not wanting the other two to miss anything by being wrapped up in conversation.

Byakuya was not in Shikai, but his Zanpakuto was drawn and ready. Rikichi and Hanataro hadn't bothered to start off like that, Rikichi calling Asayake out, Hanataro with Heika considering there was no one around needing healing to make his Shikai useful.

To Ichigo's surprise and approval, Rikichi actually made the first move. He launched himself at Byakuya, the straightforward attack was simple enough to dodge by Byakuya, and when the charging Rikichi was next to him, he reached out to slap him with the flat side of Senbonzakura.

He was a second too late to notice Rikichi's bold attack had been a distraction, Hanataro yelling, "Shisatsu Mouka!" Forcing Byakuya to use a few flash steps to avoid the speeding beam of light.

Now Byakuya was getting into the fight, realizing the pair could be pushed hard, "Scatter Senbonzakura." He released his Shikai, surrounding himself with dozens of sharpened pink petals.

They flew at the inexperienced Shinigami, who quickly scrambled to reposition themselves, settling back to back, protecting each other as they fought to escape the stinging blades. Their clothes were ripped and torn, until Rikichi noticed something. Asayake was melting all the petals it touched, and they didn't reform once they were disabled. With new purpose he lashed out as quickly as he could to destroy as many of the petals as he could reach, "Hanataro don't cut them, see if Heika can melt them!" He called out over the sounds of rushing blades.

Hanataro focused on trying to get his attack as broad as possible while following Rikichi's order. It was working, but with each strike he was drained of Spirit Pressure. His Bankai was compact like Ichigo's, but he wasn't used to the drain of even using Shikai, much less Bankai.

Byakuya saw the problem first, even before Rikichi, and he started to concentrate his attack on Hanataro to see what his subordinate would do.

Rikichi noticed the majority of Senbonzakura's blades moving away from him and towards his love, and he saw red. He slashed his way through the storm of petals, disregarding the cuts he was getting from the ones he missed. He was no longer interested in defending, now all his focus was on attacking the one trying to hurt Hanataro. Disable Byakuya, or at least force him into drawing the petals back to himself in order to fight him, and Hanataro would be safe.

Byakuya was ready for him, expecting the move, and he pulled back only half the petals to deal with Rikichi, splitting his focus and directing the two groups with one of his hands each. His Shikai would obey any command he gave, but it had taken a lot of trial and error to split up the cloud into more than one group at a time.

He was impressed with the tenacity Rikichi was displaying, charging towards him, burning up his Shikai at a steadily growing rate. There was a line of blood dripping from his left cheek, and another from the right temple, not counting the various wounds left on the rest of his body.

The thing is, if they were seriously in danger, Byakuya would have called off the fight. Rikichi might have several wounds, but they were shallow. He was moving quickly, switching positions in a constantly changing pattern. It was hard to direct his blades towards him without being able to predict his movements, he was already strained from holding multiple opponents back. Time to end this.

Rikichi and Hanataro realized in the next few seconds what made the difference between Lieutenants and Captains. Byakuya increased the speed and force of his attack, not allowing either of them much time to strike back.

The fight ended quickly after that, Rikichi and Hanataro forced to yield before they were hurt too badly. They collapsed to the ground, breathless and drained, but altogether happy with how well they held up under the Captain's attack.

Byakuya looked down at the wounded and exhausted Shinigami with a glimmer of approval in his eyes. "You did better than I thought you would. Rikichi figuring out burning disables my blades was a good example of observation skills, but I warn you, never attack an enemy with rage. You must control your anger and channel it into beating your opponent. You did perform well when you approached me, I was overstretched and you knew to take advantage of that, but your success was overshadowed by your injuries. In charging me blindly you opened yourself up to more harm; a serious detriment on the battlefield."

"Yes Captain," Rikichi responded, desperately working on getting his breathing under control.

Then Byakuya turned his attention to Hanataro, "You need to increase your stamina. Bankai takes a lot of power to maintain, even ones like yours and Ichigo's. You fought very strongly in the beginning, but drained yourself quickly, I recommend training every day with your Zanpakuto as much as you can. You have power, now focus on learning to put it to good use." A bit more critical than Rikichi's assessment, but only out of the desire to make the Officer stronger.

"I'll remember that." Hanataro promised. He was in much the same shape as Rikichi physically, his injuries focused on his legs and stomach instead of face and arms due to his dodging the blades while Rikichi charged head on. However his Spiritual Pressure was far more depleted after fighting twice with Heika in one day, only moments apart from each other.

"Are you done Byakuya?" Ichigo was coming over to them, the female Lieutenants following him.

Byakuya had to keep an iron grip on his emotions to keep himself calm at the overly familiar address coming from Ichigo once again, "Yes Kurosaki, we're finished. Lieutenant Kotetsu please help them recover." There wasn't anything life-threatening, they had indeed fought well and Byakuya hadn't pushed his Shikai quite as hard against them as he could have until the very end, so they were just scratched up and sore. However despite the relative lightness of their injuries, he knew the Seventh seat had used up too much power to patch Rikichi and himself up.

"Right away Captain Kuchiki," Isane agreed, rushing over to the boys, "Ichigo, your wish to learn healing has been passed on to the Captain and I, would you like to start learning now?" She offered, admittedly curious to see how quickly he picked it up. Have just a short conversation with Izuru and a person would know how much Ichigo had stunned him with how quickly he was mastering Kido. This would be a little different than traditional battle oriented Kido, but the fundamentals were the same. It would be a good time to learn too. Rikichi and Hanataro were far from being in danger of losing too much blood or losing function in any area, and even more so away from losing their lives, but they were hurt enough to be a good measure of Ichigo's skill.

"Alright," Ichigo agreed instantly, "What do I need to know?"

"Come here next to Rikichi, part of being a healer is knowing who to heal first. With these two, they have injuries with similar severity, so the deciding factor is location of the wounds. Facial and head wounds bleed more severely than other places, so we should start with Rikichi rather than Hanataro." She had explained all that while positioning Ichigo and herself, one on each side of Rikichi.

"Okay, I know Izuru has taught you how to pool Spiritual Pressure into your palms, it's the first step in using incantations. Healing Kido starts the same way, only the focus point stops at the hands; not continuing to our Zanpakuto or released in an attack or defense. It looks like this," She pulled her power together. Letting it coat her hands until they glowed with a halo of Spirit Pressure.

"You try doing that while I start healing Rikichi," Isane ordered, settling her glowing hands in place, one on each side of his face, bathing the wounds in power.

Ichigo watched her for a few moments, best at learning by example, then he attempted to copy her. He directed all of his power to his hands while trying to switch away from harnessing his power and towards emitting it. By the time Ichigo got the hang of it, the glow bright and steady around his hands, the slices on Rikichi's face and neck were already healed up to the point he didn't even have a scab over the cuts. The injuries left nothing but still tender scars in their path, something that would likely take a few days to heal. Isane was already moving down to his shoulders and torso shortly after Ichigo succeeded.

"Good, very good." Isane complimented, not stopping her work to continue explaining. "Now when a healer works on a patient there is no set incantations like with battle Kido, but that doesn't mean it is all the same."

"How does that work?" Ichigo asked, fascinated at watching the process of Shinigami healing close up while he wasn't the one that needed treatment.

"It is more accurate to say every healing job is different." Isane admitted, "You see instead of rigid incantations that only do so much at a time, healing is personalized. We have a basic method that starts the process, but each patient has to be dealt with as a separate entity, and occasionally you will find a person who has multiple wounds that all need to be treated slightly differently if we want to heal them."

"Okay I can understand that," Ichigo replied, "So how do you personalize it?"

"The first few moments of a healing procedure are not actively closing the wounds, instead it is connecting your Spiritual Pressure with the patient's. Since every patient has a unique power signature, this link-up goes a little differently in every case. When we heal someone, the exact process is using our power to stimulate and amplify their own Spiritual Pressure and guide it to the injury needing taken care of. No person can heal another Shinigami using only foreign power, their body will only accept energy originating from itself to heal. What we do is bolster its strength and leading it to the right place to begin making repairs. We won't be rejected from helping if our powers are integrated closely enough their power and ours become indistinguishable, in other words we are only adding to their power, not trying to override it completely." Isane informed. Healing was a far more delicate and intricate art than traditional Kido, which was a good part of the reason there was so few healers compared to the number of fighters.

Ichigo thought it over for a bit, Isane almost done with Rikichi, before asking his next question, "So how do you learn to connect with and guide power to the right place?"

"Connecting is usually the easy part," Isane confessed, "When we are injured our bodies search desperately for the energy we need to heal, and a trail of power directed towards us is the perfect opportunity to reinforce our strength enough we can act. Guiding it to the right spot is more difficult, this is when we get to the individual differences in how our Spiritual Pressure flows through us. A good portion of navigating the stream of another person is based on instinct."

At that point Isane had to take a moment to get the next set of information organized in her head. "The process is a bit like tracking down people through their Spiritual Pressure trails. The patient's body will be pulling energy to the areas that need it, and the biggest draws are the more dangerous wounds that need the quickest attention. It is our job to follow the pull of energy to find the right spots. From there it is fairly straight forward. Their own power will be harnessed by the body, and since we are linked together with them it will draw us in to where we can replace their energy with ours."

Ichigo blinked quickly several times, shocked at how much went into this form of healing. Oh he had known it wouldn't be easy, something as delicate as healing the sick and injured could never be simple. Just not possible. However that didn't stop him from being surprised. At least human healing had a set way things had to be done; Shinigami had to start fresh with each new patient.

"You think you could try it on Hanataro?" Isane requested, gesturing to the waiting Shinigami who Byakuya had kept an eye on while they were busy with Rikichi. She would not push him into it if he didn't think he was ready to heal a real person.

It took a moment before Ichigo responded, "Will this hurt him if I can't do it?"

"No, you will either succeed, or his body will reject the attempt. The rejection might give you a jolt when your power is forcibly returned, bit it's automatic for him and won't harm him if it happens." She assured, liking the fact Ichigo had considered that before jumping into something new.

"I will try," Ichigo decided, "As long as Hanataro is okay with it." He added on, giving his friend a choice.

"I trust you," Hanataro responded, "I think you can do it."

With that, Isane showed him how to position his hands correctly around the wounded area to make guiding the Spiritual Pressure that much easier. "Now sink your power into his body slowly, just like you would direct power to your Zanpakuto, only do it about half as fast. You will know it worked when his power starts to tug on yours. That is the first sign of the connection between you two." Isane ordered, Ichigo trying to comply, getting stopped several times for attempting to feed power too quickly. It was extremely difficult to hold back the wellspring of power pushing at his control. This was definitely a time when his overabundant Spiritual Pressure got in the way.

"You need to calm down Ichigo, don't try to force it, let your powers meld naturally." Isane warned, realizing the problem, but knowing if Ichigo could manage this the very same power making it difficult to learn would allow him to heal much deeper and more complicated injuries. The more power they had to work with the better when it came to healing.

Taking a deep breath, and concentrating on how much Hanataro needed him, he gave it one more try. In the same moment he finally felt Hanataro's presence join with his own the injured Shinigami let out a sigh of relief. It only took the sensation of help arriving to start alleviating the pain. Now it was a matter of finding the right spot to feed power to. He opened up all his senses, feeling out any pull or tug. Searching for power trails was still not exactly his strong point, at least he was aided a little bit with Hanataro being familiar to him. Even back when he couldn't follow a Hollow worth a damn, he had always been able to sense his friends and know they were okay.

That being the case he was eventually able to locate a disturbance in Hanataro's usually calm presence. He directed the gathered energy to the anomaly, immediately feeling his own power start to wick away. "I think I have it." He informed with relief, glad to finally be helping Hanataro stop hurting.

"Good Ichigo," Isane complimented, "Now keep the flow steady and smooth, you can increase the amount of power you are sending to speed up the healing, but do it in small increments so he has time to adjust to the previous influx before processing more." She was amazed, and pleased, the he was picking it up so fast. These were mainly small superficial wounds, with only a few deeper cuts, but he was doing great. She didn't doubt it wouldn't be long until he could heal far more dangerous injuries. That took practice, but he was a natural.

Ichigo obeyed the advice, trying to slowly increase the speed of Hanataro's recovery; he had been hurting long enough speed was something Ichigo was willing to work on no matter how hard it might be.

Slowly but surely the cuts on his body started to knit together, gaining speed as Ichigo increased the power he was sending to help his friend.

Isane watched him until Hanataro was healed as far as he would go like that, "Time to stop Ichigo, his body has to finish up on its own." She interrupted; Ichigo listening regretfully.

"Why not keep going until they are healed all the way?" He was visibly disgruntled at not being allowed to finish.

"It's better for him if the last part of the healing is allowed to finish naturally. If we always do all the healing on them, their bodies may eventually stop healing on its own, or at least make it extremely difficult. You already know about the immune system being stronger if you fought things off in the past I believe?" She got a nod to her question. "Well for us, because of our extended lives, our healing factor can suffer if we go for too long without engaging it. That situation is extremely dangerous for active duty Shinigami if they are harmed when not in range of a healer." She explained fully.

Seeing that Ichigo was still a little resistant, she added on, "I promise you this is the best thing for them right now. I do recommend you help them to the hot spring so they can wash up and soak their strained muscles. That will do them a world of good right now."

"I'll help you tend them," Ichigo had nearly forgotten Byakuya was there during the course of learning, but he was reminded when the Captain volunteered himself.

"Are you ready to move around on your own, or do you want a little more help?" Ichigo turned to Rikichi and Hanataro, not knowing how much they could handle yet.

"I think I can," Rikichi answered first, carefully pulling himself off the ground.

Hanataro attempted to follow suit, but his worst injuries were centered around his legs, and it still hurt quite a bit to stand despite the healing done on him. The pain wouldn't have been any better had Isane herself performed it; there was only so far they were willing to go healing anyone. So all he could do was grit his teeth against the pain, and bear it for the time being, "I'm not sure my legs will hold out," He admitted honestly. There was no adrenaline helping to keep him on his feet like there was during the fight.

"How about you lean on me, and if you have too much trouble I can carry you?" Ichigo offered.

"If you don't mind," Hanataro accepted, but he was a tad reluctant to make Ichigo put himself out for him.

"Hey Hanataro, it's no big deal, friends help each other," Ichigo dispelled Hanataro's concern once he realized it was necessary.

Not able to protest against that, Hanataro allowed Ichigo to help him over to the hot spring, Byakuya mirroring the action with Rikichi, who looked a little stunned at the personal attention from his Captain.

Nanao and Isane took the opportunity to slip away once it was obvious Ichigo and Byakuya had everything under control. Everyone would be taken care of.

Once at the healing spring, they carefully helped Rikichi and Hanataro out of their uniforms and into the water. The spring tempting enough to join them, all three in training Shinigami surprised when Byakuya joined them.

Ichigo realized this was the first time he had seen Byakuya even partially out of his uniform since he broke into Byakuya's healing room looking for Rukia after her failed execution. It made the noble look noticeably younger, reminding Ichigo of what Retsu had said about Byakuya being young by Shinigami standards. Rukia had already admitted to him she was over sixty years old, made him wonder how old Byakuya was in comparison.

Deciding Byakuya was relaxed enough he wouldn't send Senbonzakura after him for asking, he jumped in head long, "Byakuya, how old are you?"

For an instant Byakuya's eyes widened, proving he was caught off guard by the question, his normal aloof expression back nearly as quickly as it left, "I don't see how that's any of your business." He rejected, but so far no swords were involved.

"You're right, it's none of my business." Ichigo agreed, "But that doesn't stop me from being curious." He couldn't stop himself from adding that last bit on.

"Why do you want to know?" Well this was interesting, his avoidance of the question was proving to be amusing to Ichigo.

"Well, I know Rukia is right around sixty, and Renji is about ten years older. I am honestly just curious how you fit in; nothing more than that." He put his hands up in the air as a gesture of surrender in an attempt to placate him.

"If I tell you, would you leave me alone?" Much more of this and even Byakuya was going to lose control.

"Sure," Ichigo agreed easily, knowing he was pushing his luck.

"I'm a hundred and thirty," He finally confessed.

Hanataro blanched at that, the first one to catch it was Rikichi, "Hana, what's wrong? Isn't the water helping?" He asked in concern, thinking maybe Hanataro's injuries had been more severe than they originally thought.

"It's not that," He admitted, "It's just, um well," He stalled out, a blush on his face as his shyness returned full blown.

Byakuya closed his eyes, a quiet sigh of resignation escaping him, which was just as unusual as seeing a snowflake in July, "Let me guess, you're older than me, aren't you?" He had kind of suspected that much, but Hanataro's reaction to his confession proved it.

"By twenty years," Hanataro admitted. "I didn't join the academy until I was nearly fifty, and I already knew your name then, because the Kuchiki heir was a very popular topic of conversation. No one ever mentioned how old you were though, and while going through the Academy I didn't have much of a chance to see anyone outside of it. By the time I graduated you were already the Lieutenant of the Sixth. You became Captain a few years later when your Grandfather stepped down."

Byakuya did the math quickly, "Ah so you were there after my time in the Academy, my family sent me while I was still very young, this was to make more time for training to be head of the family when I graduated. I was a member of the Sixth by the time I was thirty. I wasn't much bigger than Captain Hitsugaya when I first got into the squad."

"I thought Toushiro was older? I don't mean ancient, but more than a few decades?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"That's because he is," Byakuya informed, knowing enough about Toushiro to think he could get away with it, "He is older than Rukia, but they are two different kinds of Shinigami."

Now Ichigo was confused, "What do you mean different kinds?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Byakuya responded drily, "There are two different kinds of Shinigami. One born, the other coming straight from the Living World. Born Shinigami age faster. Still slower than a human, but we reach milestones much quicker. Captain Hitsugaya's human life ended when he was a small child. He was a human with high spiritual pressure, not unlike your friends and little sisters, and his soul was healthy and intact when he passed. This meant he was able to enter the Soul Society looking and acting like he did when alive; Spiritual Pressure and all. It doesn't work like that for all of us."

Ichigo caught the emphasis in the sentence. "Let me guess, the other Shinigami come from the souls who didn't come straight here? You said Toushiro made it here because his soul was healthy and intact, so what happens when that isn't true?"

"Not bad for a guess," Byakuya would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he was a bit impressed with his intuition. "Yes the second group of Shinigami is comprised of souls that could not be salvaged when they passed through the gates of death. Now, don't get confused here, a disease of the flesh is not a disease of soul, you can have a perfectly normal healthy life and still fail to pass through the gate, and on the reverse you can be a very sickly human and get into Soul Society without pause. A lot of it depends on what was done in the life of the soul. Truly evil crimes are punished by banishment into the realm of Hell, but for those that are twisted in the same way but do not give into the urge enough to warrant banishment there is a second option."

Byakuya paused there to give his listeners the chance to assimilate what he'd thrown at them before continuing, "That second option is to be kept in the gates of death. The soul is stripped clean of the tainted portions, leaving fragments of the original soul behind, but nothing that could be reformed into a fully functioning soul again; at least not on its own. In this class of Shinigami their spiritual pressure is gained by the compounding of these partial souls into one dense ball of energy, and having that ball of energy join the Soul Society by being born from a powerful Shinigami. The parent's Spiritual Pressure is what gives our children their physical features, making our children purely our own no matter where their souls happen to come from."

"Is there any big difference between the two besides the aging thing?" Ichigo found this extremely interesting, never having anyone bother to tell him much about Shinigami biology or origins. He knew next to nothing about the race he partially belonged to.

Hanataro answered him first, "It's easier to heal a born Shinigami. The threads of Spiritual Pressure we have to travel along in order to heal them are much more streamlined than those of natural Shinigami."

"Wait, why are the ones brought directly here called the natural ones? Wouldn't that be the ones who were born?" The discrepancy bothered Ichigo.

Byakuya took over, "We call the ones directly from the Living World the natural Shinigami because they didn't have to be altered to be who they are. A born Shinigami is much further removed from the human race. We were never a part of it. Also, another word for the Living World is the Natural World. It comes down to calling my counterparts what they are, a being derived from nature instead of spirit like my family and I." At least if they had to be the ones to educate Ichigo, he was making it surprisingly easy on them, asking the right questions and actually understanding the answers.

"If born Shinigami are so different from humans, why couldn't I tell the difference between the two?" A valid question.

"Because the difference isn't in the way we act, well most of the time," Byakuya was forced to admit, "It's more in the way we function. The way our physical bodies work if that makes sense. There are things we can do humans can't, and things humans are capable of that we aren't."

"Would you be willing to tell me? I know my father was a Shinigami, makes me wonder if I would be classed with born Shinigami or natural." That little revelation was something Aizen had taken great glee in revealing. He told him all the dirty little secrets that had been kept from him; all done to make him more likely to submit to the psychopath. None of it had worked though, he knew secrets were kept for a reason, after all he had enough of them himself.

"I'm not sure about you, though it's likely you are classed with born Shinigami. I doubt a soul truly born human could keep passing back and forth through the gate while still living. Body or no body, you would be sensed as alive." Byakuya assessed. He found himself tempted to test the matter himself, but that would mean admitting curiosity to the oh so annoying Kurosaki.

"Things we can't do include dying of old age, and reincarnation. Once we are killed our soul simply dissipates back into the particles it was made out of, to start condensing another usable soul. Natural Shinigami follow the same course as general spirits, when they die their soul gets passed on to a new life in the Living World. Though we do share the inability to die of old age with natural Shinigami. Another thing we can't do is have a child with a human, we simply do not have the correct seed. Natural Shinigami can interbreed with humans without a problem, but born Shinigami are constrained to looking within our own class if we want to have children."

"Can a born Shinigami and a natural Shinigami have children together?" Now that was an interesting thing, despite knowing he was a crossbreed himself, he hadn't really thought about what that meant. Guess Isshin was a natural Shinigami then.

Byakuya wondered how long Ichigo would go on asking questions before stumbling upon one of the more disconcerting facts about born Hollows, especially for someone never exposed to it before. "Yes, so long as it's the dominant partner who's natural. A born Shinigami can carry a child of a natural, but it doesn't work the other way around."

"Why doesn't it work? How come you said dominant partner and not the father?" Ichigo was getting suspicious, there was a barely there gleam in Byakuya's eyes that might just be amusement, what was so funny?

"It doesn't work because we need two sets of strong spiritual pressure to produce a child, but once we have it there isn't anything stopping us from having children. Natural Shinigami are not equipped to carry a child formed like this, only born Shinigami can do it. Oh and just so you know when I say born Shinigami are capable of carrying these children, I mean all of us." He couldn't hold it back any longer, he just wanted to get one good hit in to return the favor for all the annoyances Ichigo had been causing him lately.

"You can't possibly mean what I think you do!" Now Ichigo was just plain spooked, that was possibly the most terrifying thing he had heard in a very long time.

"Sorry, Ichigo, but I think it's exactly what you're thinking," Hanataro was backing up Byakuya, Rikichi only nodding. "Both female and male born Shinigami can carry children, our reproduction has nothing to do with biology, so we are not constrained by it. We do not need a female/male pair to have children like in the human world. That would be the biggest difference between us and humans, or even natural Shinigami."

"But just because it is possible, does not mean it's accepted," Byakuya figured a joke had to end sometime, and this was kind of important. "From time to time there is an accident in the academy, or a very quiet instance in the low ranks, but the closer you are to the Head Captain the more you realize it is not safe for us to have children. The severe taboo on males and females engaging in relations with each other make a male carrying a child an ultimate sin in Captain Yamamoto's eyes. Women have it easier, they can usually find a male friend willing to take responsibility if it meant keeping her and the child safe."

Mouth going dry with worry, Ichigo made himself ask, "So how does that whole male getting pregnant thing work anyway?"

"It's rare," Byakuya admitted, "Actually any pregnancy is rare, to balance out the length of our lives we have an extremely low fertility rate. A couple may be together for centuries and never produce a child. The situation has to be exactly right or it just doesn't happen. The souls waiting in the gate first must reach maturity, a process that we truly have no idea how long it takes. Then once they reach the right stage, a suitable pairing is sought out. The couple must trust each other completely, any kind of dishonesty or unfaithfulness will result in the soul rejecting the couple. Even if it does find an acceptable pair, there still has to be something happening on our side or it will look somewhere else. A soul will only come to rest with a couple if at the moment of discovery they have entwined their spiritual pressure. Remember it takes two sets of strong spirit pressure before we can have children, because that's what it takes to actually form the child. So it will not settle on a family that is not strong enough to give the soul what it needs."

"Just how rare is pregnancy?" Ichigo had calmed down from the worst of his panic at hearing all the conditions against it; that sounded like one in a million odds.

Byakuya had to think about it for a moment before he could answer, "Last time I updated the records, the birth rate was bouncing between two and three a year for the entire Soul Society."

"So not too much to worry about right?" Ichigo felt relief washing through him, he couldn't imagine bringing a child into the world when they were in the middle of a war.

"Not really, but there is one bad thing about all this," Byakuya cautioned.

"What else could possibly top this one?" That would take a lot of effort according to Ichigo.

Byakuya pushed a piece of wet hair away from his face in an effort to stall this response, "It's a very good thing the chances are so rare," He admitted. "Because if the partners don't manage to keep a grip on their Spiritual Pressure at the wrong time, there is nothing available to stop a child from forming."

"Damn," Yeah, that would cut it, definitely worse than the previous news. He might not mind children in the future, especially if they were with Jyuushiro and Shunsui when everything was safe from Aizen again. Now he knew there was no way to stop it from happening except try to keep control of themselves and hope it doesn't happen if they don't manage to hold on.

For the first time ever, Ichigo heard Byakuya laugh, though it was very rueful, "I felt the same way when Grandfather explained it to me."


	15. No More Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strong enough to take a few more steps forward.

It was an aching and exhausted pair of Shinigami stumbling their way out of the training grounds for the first time in nearly two weeks. It was over. They had been pushed, and tested, and put through their paces many times over in the last few days. Ichigo having them up and fighting as much as they could manage; their stamina had increased by leaps and bounds. Ichigo's own weakened state drastically improved in the process of teaching them. So rather than wore down, Ichigo actually felt better than he had in a very long time, since before Aizen had captured him.

"Go back to your squads, let your Captains know you survived, then go get some rest. You deserve it." Ichigo ordered. He had worked them hard, but boy had his effort paid off, he knew the rest of the Seireitei was not going to believe the changes in the two often overlooked Shinigami.

"Thank you Ichigo for all that you've done," Hanataro responded honestly, "We would not have gotten nearly this far in centuries if it weren't for you."

"What have I told you about selling yourself short?" Ichigo reminded, a playful edge to his voice. "You two would have done great without me, but I'm glad I was able to help get you there faster."

"We couldn't have asked for a better teacher," Rikichi insisted. "Besides I'm glad we were able to help you get your strength back. You look like you're feeling a lot better now."

"Thanks Rikichi, and I am feeling good, more like my old self again. You two really did keep me on my toes, and I needed to get better quick or Shunsui would have carried out the threat to bar me from executing my plan. I have something to prove." Ichigo revealed.

"Ichigo be careful you don't push yourself too fast, you were always warning us about that so make sure you take your own advice," Hanataro cautioned. He didn't want to see Ichigo hurt any more than he did Rikichi or himself. That last comment raised a red flag that Ichigo wasn't working at his own pace, but the one he thought he needed to keep Shunsui from holding him back; even if it was for his own good.

"I'm being good, I've made too many promises about that to start screwing up now. I'll be fine," He assured, not blowing off Hanataro's concerns. They were extremely valid and he knew not to take his words lightly. Hanataro knew what he was talking about when it came to the hurt and sick.

Hanataro smiled at him, "That's all I wanted to hear. Now, you told us what to do after this, but what are you going to be doing?"

"I was going to track down Shunsui and Jyuushiro, I want to let them know how well you have done and that our training is officially over. Haven't seen either one of them for a few days." He had stayed with the other two the last few nights so they could get as much practice in as possible.

"Sounds good, we won't keep you any longer; I don't think we need a guide to get back to our squads." Rikichi urged. A lot had changed in the past ten days, he wasn't afraid to walk the streets any more despite the attack. He along with Hanataro could now take care of themselves, and it was all thanks to Ichigo.

Ichigo sent them off with a wave, before flash stepping his way back to the Eighth deciding to pick up Shunsui first before bringing him along to the Thirteenth.

When he arrived at Shunsui's barracks he was a little startled to find him actually working, although the scowling Nanao hovering behind him might have had something to do with that. Putting a finger to his lips to keep the Lieutenant quiet once she spotted him, he started sneaking up on Shunsui, intending on surprising him. The plan backfired when as he leaned down to kiss his neck, Shunsui reached out yanking the off balance Ichigo around and into his lap and proceeded to kiss the life out of him.

"Cheater," Ichigo managed to say breathlessly when they broke apart for air.

Shunsui chuckled, the deep sounds vibrating in his chest hard enough for Ichigo to feel, "Now how am I the cheater when you were the one sneaking up on me?"

"You knew I was there!" Ichigo protested, "How'd you do that?"

Shunsui kissed his temple, "Ichigo I am always going to know you are near me, just like I know when Jyuushiro is close. I don't need an alarm of Spiritual Pressure to know you are beside me where you belong,"

Ichigo melted into his embrace, the words relaxing him beyond belief. "It's nice to belong somewhere," He responded simply.

"Nothing better," Shunsui agreed. "Now are you just treating me to the pleasure of your company, or did you have a purpose for coming?"

"As much as I'd like to say I'm just here for your enjoyment, I was thinking of dragging you to the thirteenth and let you two know the results of the training." Ichigo explained.

"Hmm, sounds good," Shunsui then turned to look at his Lieutenant who was still averting her eyes to give the pair some privacy, "Have I done enough for today? Ichigo intends to kidnap me." He asked, giving her his best begging expression.

She rolled her eyes, "If it wasn't for Ichigo you'd be staying in that chair for the rest of the day. As it is I know he hasn't seen you because of the training session; so yes you may leave but be prepared to work twice as hard tomorrow." She warned.

Shunsui looked at Ichigo lovingly, "Worth it, see you tomorrow Nanao."

With that Shunsui and Ichigo quickly left Shunsui's office, not tempting fate, or rather not giving Nanao the chance to change her mind. All she could do was shake her head at their antics, and wonder at how much Ichigo's students had changed since the last time they fought. Isane and herself had barely managed to keep ahead of them as it was, and there was no doubt Ichigo had pushed them as hard as he could since then. That made for interesting, if not a little scary, musings. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Nanao sat down at Shunsui's vacated desk, intent on getting the day's work done and plotting exactly how she was going to make her Captain pay for skipping out early again.

Meanwhile Ichigo and Shunsui had arrived at the Thirteenth, finding Jyuushiro relaxing with a cup of tea as unlike Shunsui he had gotten his work done for the day. He was soon glomped by both his loves, one on each side, kissing up his neck and jaw; a particularly sensitive spot for him.

He basked in their attention, having missed it from Ichigo due to training, and from Shunsui due to Nanao's insistence that he get caught up on the work that had been piling up. He was nearly purring at the long overdue affection.

After a few minutes he started returning the favor, and they spent the next little while getting reacquainted with each other.

Eventually though the bonding session slowly ended, leaving them in a tangle of bodies to maximize the contact with each other. "Welcome back Ichigo, how did the training go?" Jyuushiro mustered up the will to speak first.

"Better than I had expected to be honest, they really put all their heart and soul into it. I was afraid I would have to push them so much they would start to hate me, but they handled everything I dished out, even requesting we spar for longer when I was ready to call a break for them." Ichigo explained with pride, they really had done an amazing job learning what he had to show them.

"Can't wait to see it for myself, they must be a sight to see by now with you teaching them," Jyuushiro complimented, enjoying the small blush creeping up Ichigo's neck.

"They are going to surprise a few people definitely, and I don't think they have to worry about anyone attacking them short of a Captain or Espada." Ichigo claimed proudly, wanting his students' achievements known to the people that cared.

Shunsui smirked, "I would be interested in testing that." He had seen the promise locked inside the two Shinigami, and preferred seeing the changes in action.

"You'd make their day if you did that," Ichigo informed, "They have been star struck by you two since the demonstration. It definitely helped motivate them to get better."

"Glad we could help," Jyuushiro responded honestly, feeling a buzz of happiness settle in his chest.

"It's just in time too, while you were busy training them, our orders came in from Yamamoto; well mine did anyway. I bet yours will come very soon now that the three of you have been spotted back in the Seireitei." Shunsui warned. "I am to leave for the Living World at the beginning of next week."

"So you will be gone in four or five days," Ichigo noted. "Do you think they will send me at the same time?"

"There is a good possibility," Shunsui guessed, "You completed everything Yamamoto asked for in the beginning. All that you need now to be sent back is a health clearance from Retsu. You better hope you pass that, if we find out you pushed yourself too hard training them and delayed your own progress you will have a lot of explaining to do. Oh, and I haven't forgotten what I said before, if she doesn't say you are one hundred percent healthy there is no way I am going to let you confront any of the Espada."

"When do you want me to go to her?" He was ready to prove he had listened to their warning and taken care of himself.

A sly smile, "Tomorrow." Shunsui urged, "Nanao gave me today off, but she will drag me back tomorrow; go see Retsu then."

Jyuushiro agreed as well, "That works for me too, I have finished my work for today, but I never know what will land on my desk in the morning. It's best to relax when I can."

Instead of staying in the convenient but less private Captain's quarters in the Thirteenth, Jyuushiro brought them to his family's estate Ugendo. The time it took getting there became a willing tradeoff for the seclusion it provided. It was Jyuushiro's resting place after a particularly violet attack; unless there was a dire emergency they would not be disturbed by even Sentaro or Kiyone.

Free to interact and speak about whatever crossed their minds without worry, the night passed in a torrent of words and touches. The long overdue reunion coupled with the looming separation of at least one of the members drove them to enjoy everything they could from this one special night.

Needless to say Nanao was a little irritated, and Retsu surprised, when the stray Shinigami stumbled in when it was nearly noon. Shunsui withstood the tongue thrashing he got while Nanao marched him to his desk, the memories of the night before putting a smile on his face.

In Ichigo's case he was brought to an exam room, Retsu checking him over for any leftover traces of Seki Seki, as well as for any damage that may have come to his system due to stress. As she worked she began to speak, "I have heard Isane's report on your healing lesson, and she was very impressed with your skill." Retsu complimented.

"It wasn't what I expected, but I did enjoy it, I'm very thankful to her," Ichigo admitted.

Retsu laughed quietly, "Yes, healing is a very different art compared to what most Soul Reapers are trained in. Not many have the patience to learn it on top of their normal Kido lessons."

Ichigo tilted his head in confusion, "I didn't think it was that hard? I mean it wasn't easy and I'll need a lot of practice, but the method wasn't hard to pick up when it was explained as well as Isane did."

His confusion only increased Retsu's amusement, "You still have no idea just how unique you are, don't you? For most Shinigami healing is much more difficult to learn than Kido that uses Incantations. For us it is difficult to do something by instinct that we are taught to do by force; and that's the inherent difference between the two styles of power. If you want a measure of how rare it actually is for us to know healing; Jyuushiro and Shunsui can't do it. I barred Jyuushiro from learning, healing takes more stamina to do than I felt comfortable with him knowing how to do it; he would push himself into healing one too many patients if he had the knowledge to do so. In Shunsui's case, his power is too destructive to perform the delicate task of healing, he simply cannot harness it correctly." She informed, hoping it might get through to Ichigo.

"They really can't do it?" Ichigo was admittedly shocked at hearing that. "With how long they have been part of the thirteen squads I thought they would at least know the basics."

"Everybody is a little different, Shunsui's case is not as rare as it might sound. There are plenty of Shinigami that have Spiritual Pressure naturally more attuned to fighting than healing. That can make it nearly impossible to learn no matter how much power they possess. Most of the Second, Eighth, and Eleventh Squad members fall into this category, and even a good portion of the Seventh." She explained, Shunsui's difficulties much more common than Jyuushiro's health restrictions.

"Why can I do it when Shunsui can't? All I've ever done was fight, and that includes the time before I brought out my Shinigami powers?" Not to mention his Hollow, but he figured he didn't need to tell Retsu outright for her to factor Junichi in.

"You are different, even when it comes down to you fighting in a battle with your Zanpakuto it is still a far more impulsive and instinctive style due to you being relatively new to your blade. The fact you learned differently than the rest of us turned your technique to one nearly completely opposite the normal pattern. This could have gone either good or bad, but you managed to turn it to your advantage, it makes you able to do things that might otherwise be difficult. It also makes you unpredictable to those of us that fight in a fixed pattern. Plus even Hollows can learn to heal, you told me yourself it was one of the Espada healing you; not one of the traitor Shinigami."

"I can believe some of that but other parts, I'll have to take your word on," Ichigo accepted a bit reluctantly, he was caught between his faith in Retsu and his usual underestimation of his own skill. "There is one thing wrong with what you said though, I'm not unpredictable, at least not to everyone."

Hearing his voice change from its usual serious and confident tone, into the faraway one he used to distance himself from the memories brought back through the words, made Retsu prompt him further in the hope she could help him confront and eliminate a few more of the shadows haunting him. "Which of the Espada could read you?" It wasn't difficult to figure out what prompted his response, and she learned from earlier conversations if she wanted to reach him once he had fallen into this state, direct questions worked best.

"Starrk was never wrong, Harribel could when she focused on it, and Ulquiorra figured it out some of the time. The others were pretty hit or miss. Either their style didn't match mine, or they were simply not interested in trying to outsmart me considering how limited my range was in the arena." Somehow talking to Retsu was a lot easier than most others. He felt safe with her knowing his secrets, that faith was only matched when it came to Jyuushiro and Shunsui.

Retsu reached a conclusion quickly, "Most of those names are top Espada, I remember that much, but you missed the second didn't you?"

"Yeah, Barragan was pitted against me the least of all of them. Aizen was probably afraid he would kill me out of spite. Grimmjow hates Aizen for controlling him, but Barragan is passive aggressive against him since Aizen usurped his position. He had been essentially the lord of the Hollows before Aizen came along. That much was told to me by Aizen during our 'conversations' he thought by familiarizing me with the Arrancar there, I would be that much easier to break since I would know what I was dealing with." The more he explained, the better Ichigo was beginning to feel.

"The fear of the unknown would be removed, a powerful source of motivation to keep you from submitting to his wishes," Retsu observed, that wasn't a real surprising tactic considering what she knew of Aizen's manipulations due to her work on helping Momo recover from his mental attacks.

"Essentially yes," Ichigo confirmed, "One of the most common topics he touched on was to explain all the virtues of staying in Las Noches. A part of that was also bringing up anything and everything wrong in Soul Society to persuade me his way was the better choice." He admitted.

Hearing that Retsu was even more impressed that he had held up so long against Aizen. That had to have been hard to stomach; Soul Society had many demons he would have no doubt unearthed while hiding behind the benevolent Captain façade. "Sometimes the hardest trial you will have to face is making a choice between evils, and I have a feeling he made you feel like that was exactly what you had to do."

Ichigo shook his head, "Not really. Most of what he told me about Soul Society was things I either already knew, or had at least guessed at before he got to me. I knew there were many problems here, but at the same time I am willing to fight on your side because I believe despite the number of problems, the type of things wrong were things that could be fixed given time and the right person heading the fight for change."

This time Retsu was unable to hide her shocked expression that had not been expected at all, "Ichigo I am going to say it again, you have no idea how unique you are. I doubt anyone else would have been able to take that position in the situation you were dealing with. I believe it would be rare even when not under duress."

"I believed what was right and stuck behind it," Ichigo confessed, "That was one thing I absolutely had to do if I wanted to withstand his manipulations."

"And thank goodness you did," She assured. "You would have been sorely missed, and we wouldn't have had the opportunity to get to know you even better as we did while you recovered here."

"I wouldn't have had the chance to get close to Jyuushiro and Shunsui, I think that is the part I am most glad for that happened because I didn't give in." He admitted.

"I'm not surprised," Retsu responded with a smile, "Those two have done a world of good for you, and you for them. It's wonderful to see how happy you three make each other. Now to change the topic, I'm giving you a clean bill of health. You really have recovered well, and your Spiritual Pressure is back to its old strength; possibly a touch higher than it had been. You always did blossom the most while you were fighting against something." She had healed him a number of times during his past escapades, it was fairly easy for her to measure his strength.

"So I can go back to the Living World with Shunsui?" He didn't bother to cover up his excitement.

"If the Head Captain wants you to, than yes I don't see any reason to stop you," His enthusiasm was infectious and she found herself smiling with him.

"Do you think he would want me back in the field?" She was the best judge of Yamamoto's decisions, she had been working with him for even longer than Shunsui and Jyuushiro.

She took a moment to think about it before responding, "I think he will send you back. He has no good reason to keep you here anymore."

"Good, I'm ready to see my family, and at least Shunsui will be with me," Ichigo was looking forward to returning to his family and friends. Hopefully they had been updated on what had happened so they didn't think he had been killed or had abandoned them.

"You will get to see Jyuushiro, he coordinates the Living World missions. I know it won't quite be the same, but it is better than being separated from him completely." She reminded, having no illusions how hard it would be to leave Jyuushiro behind; for both of them.

"Yeah, I almost forgot about that." Ichigo replied sheepishly, "And yes it's better than no contact at all. By the way do you know what my family was told, or if anyone even bothered to get word to them at all?"

"Your father was told, whether or not he informed your sisters was up to him," She informed. "He was told both that you had been captured, and that you were returned to us."

"That saves me the stress of explaining myself," Ichigo said with relief. "I'm guessing Kon probably took control of my body. He wouldn't fool my close friends, but he could probably pull off the deception with everyone else."

"I don't know the exact means, but your body had to have been preserved in some way, or you would have been brought to us in the form of your death." There was no way to sugar coat that information, but at least it had been avoided.

"About that, Byakuya told me something interesting about Shinigami, that there are two forms." At her confirming nod, he continued. "I was wondering if there was a way to tell which one I was?"

"I already know," She admitted.

"How? And what am I?" Now Ichigo was curious.

Retsu was expecting those questions, and was able to answer quickly, "I can tell by the way your power flows when I heal you. There is a distinct difference between the two classes. You are a born Shinigami, and you are probably curious about this too; Shunsui is natural, Jyuushiro born." This particular bit of information was neutral, it couldn't be used to harm anyone if found out, thus it wasn't a restricted topic like exact power levels or the form a Shinigami's Zanpakuto took when released.

"Wait if I am a born Shinigami, doesn't that mean I won't end up in Soul Society when I die?" He remembered that part of Byakuya's lesson.

"I don't really know," Retsu admitted, "I'm going off the assumption since you are only part Shinigami your other portions of power might balance out the typical way we die. It's your human side that gives me hope you would come to us. Now if you were killed after arriving here you would probably dissipate like we do. You wouldn't have the protection of your human blood." She reasoned.

"I never want to leave Jyuushiro and Shunsui alone," He confessed his worry.

"It is just as possible you will come here as not. For all we know if your body died nothing would change with your spirit. You already do leave it behind when travelling here, that may just continue on without the ability to return." Retsu comforted, knowing the pain that kind of parting would inflict on the trio.

"So essentially my body could just be a form of gigai? Ichigo guessed.

"I've never studied a case like yours through to the end before, there has been one other Substitute Soul Reaper, but he has yet to die. The fact his lifespan was increased so dramatically tells me it is definitely possible all your spirit is doing is animating an organic gigai." At least she hoped so, that would actually be the best case scenario. It meant that Ichigo would have that much more chance at becoming a regular Shinigami when he died.

"What would happen to my body should I decide to live in Soul Society before I pass?" His curiosity was not satisfied yet.

That took a few minutes for Retsu to come up with a plausible reaction, "If it was unoccupied for too long I suspect it would begin to degrade, if that happened it would force your death to happen soon after."

"Do you think the risk would be worth it?" He trusted her instincts, they hadn't steered him wrong before.

A deep breath, knowing he would go with whatever she said. "Yes, I think it would be worth it. I truly believe you would be given a second life here. You would not be reincarnated back into the Living World once your body died, but your soul would survive here."

"King, she is right." Junichi's sudden interruption had him jumping. "We are already much more of a Soul then a human. There is just enough to animate our body. We would come here first, because we are already partially dead if you want to look at it literally. Since our soul is intact despite our change, then yes we would be safe."

"Are you sure?" This was not something Ichigo was comfortable gambling on, but Junichi and Retsu's words gave him hope.

"Positive, we are far too deep into this world for us to be completely a part of the Living World and still be as we are. We beat the rules King, because they were never designed for someone like us." Junichi was being unusually reassuring, and he caught that thought from Ichigo before he had a chance to voice it. "You don't think I wouldn't miss Jyuushiro and Shunsui too? We've been over this, I am half your soul, the things you love and desire I also do. If you've forgotten it was me who tried to persuade you into pursuing them in the first place."

"Sorry, wasn't expecting that," Ichigo admitted.

Junichi smirked back into his much more typical personality, "Didn't think you would. You've got a lot to learn King."

"Apparently I do." Ichigo agreed. "But at least now I'm willing to learn."

"I'm just leaping for joy that you finally came to your senses," There was genuine sentiment hidden deeply under the sarcasm.

"I remember you beating me into this mindset." He remembered.

Junichi chuckled, "What other way would I use to get through your thick skull? I am still a Hollow despite the fact I'm tied to you. I will never be completely domesticated." He warned almost viciously.

"I wouldn't be suicidal enough to try. Besides I might just miss you if you weren't around to aggravate me." There was some affection in the statement despite the pseudo insult.

"Jeeze King, you just made me blush," The flippant and sarcastic tone totally ruined what could have been a mushy sentence.

"Glad I could make you happy," Ichigo wondered if Junichi could sense the eye roll that accompanied the words.

"Don't get used to it," Junichi advised before going silent allowing Ichigo to turn his attention back to Retsu.

"Sorry about that, Junichi was answering our question. According to him we are already too far into the Spirit World for us to be completely alive. He said the portion of us still human was only strong enough to animate our body, not much more. That means we will end up here if our body degrades." Ichigo informed.

Retsu let out a sigh of relief, "At least he knew what was going to happen. It does make me wonder just how much of our traits you now possess."

"If what Junichi believes is true, I'm guessing most of them." Ichigo theorized. "And it's probably true with my Hollow side too. He is just as much a part of me, so it would stand to reason I would pick up just as many of their traits as Shinigami. I already know I can fire a cero, I can be taught to use sonido, and possibly pesquisa. The last two were only according to Aizen who had a hand in creating the first Visoreds. Cero is the only one I have actually done myself." That incident had been when Aizen had first captured him, the collar he used then was strong enough to suppress his Shinigami side, but Junichi had still been able to act at a limited capacity. That was quickly remedied by a thicker collar of Seki Seki, a backup Aizen had made just encase that very thing happened.

"I think it would be useful if you could develop the others though," Retsu encouraged. "That would definitely be something you could use to throw off your opponents. I have to admit I am curious about pesquisa that is one of the least studied Arrancar abilities."

"If I get it figured out, you will be the first one I show," Ichigo promised, it was the least he could do for her in return for all she had done for him.

"Thank you Ichigo, I appreciate it." A new thing to study would be invigorating. IT had been awhile since she had a new subject to look into.

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door, and a young Shinigami coming in upon invitation with a Hell butterfly balanced on his finger. To their surprise the creature flew over to Ichigo instead of Retsu once in the room.

It carried a message from Yamamoto, "Ichigo Kurosaki you are to report to the First Squad headquarters, you will receive further instructions upon arrival." The message repeated once, before the Hell butterfly followed the Shinigami who brought it out of the room.

"Looks like it's time to find out if I will be going with the team or not," Ichigo noted.

"Yes, now you shouldn't keep him waiting." Retsu warned.

"I'll leave right now, thank you Retsu." He responded with a rare smile.

She was glad to see the expression but didn't call attention to it, "You're welcome, now go before he gets irritable." She dismissed, Ichigo leaving right after she spoke.

"Good luck," She spoke quietly to herself.


	16. The Road Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had to give Rikichi a last name to introduce him, I picked it out of a list of common names. I hope it works.

"Ichigo Kurosaki I am releasing you back to the Living World, once there you will assist the team I am sending with their endeavors to find and destroy the source of the Arrancar infestation. The team will leave in three days' time." Ichigo had to resist the leap of joy he wanted to do at getting the expected orders. It had been so long since he had been home he was more than ready to see his family. A twinge of regret hit him at leaving Jyuushiro behind, but like Retsu said, at least they would still get to see him while they were away.

"Yes Head-Captain, I will be ready." He managed to collect himself enough to respond when he noticed the aged Shinigami waiting for an answer.

He was dismissed shortly after that to return to the Thirteenth and prepare to leave, there wasn't much to do since most of his things were on loan from the squad until he could return home and have access to his own again. He only really needed to take himself and Zangetsu.

Which meant Ichigo spent his last two days saying goodbye to the people he had grown close to. Everyone from the group meetings was on the list, and he ended the tour with the Seventh as he wanted to speak with Komamura again before he left.

The wolf like Captain was on the training fields, watching over his squad members as they sparred, but choosing not to participate himself just yet. When Ichigo walked over to him quite a few heads turned to inspect him before returning to their training. The story of the two beaten Soul Reapers had traveled around the squad since it had happened so close to their territory, and at least in this particular squad they were on the side of the victims. No one deserved to be hurt even if they didn't agree with their lifestyle choice personally. Ichigo showing up at their squad wasn't an incredibly noteworthy event when taking into account the situation they had both been involved in.

The only thing that did catch their attention was the secondary story of what happened in the aftermath of the attack. Ichigo had battled their Captain and not only survived but matched him, that kind of thing alone was cause for a second look.

Ichigo didn't say anything to them as he passed through, neither encouraging nor discouraging them, until he finally reached his goal. Komamura beat him to speaking though, "How have you been Ichigo?"

"I'm doing good, Retsu has finally cleared me of any lingering effects of the Seki-Seki, the Head-Captain is sending me back home to help support the others shipping out to deal with the Arrancar." He explained, feeling relaxed around the large but kind Captain.

"I'm glad to hear it." Komamura admitted gladly. "Rumor has it that you've been busy lately with a training project, how did that go?" The word of Ichigo's efforts had spread through the Captains, everyone curious to know how it would go. They knew how quickly Ichigo could learn, and it made them want to know how well he could teach.

"It went better than I expected, everyone worked very hard. I hadn't known word had spread around so much about it though," Ichigo confessed, his pride in his students making him answer before he did any kind of questioning.

Komamura laughed at that, the sound deep and a bit rough around the edges, "When a Captain is excited about something information passes around very quickly. You made a lot of people very curious about the situation." He was one of the few Captains fully aware of who Ichigo had been working with, Byakuya and Retsu quickly letting him know since he had been involved in the attack.

"They can protect themselves now, I suspect they will be promoted in their Squads, well at least in the case of Rikichi that is true, with Hanataro I don't know how the Fourth weights the skill of their Officers. Just because I taught him to fight doesn't mean he became a better healer in that time. I'm betting he will be working hard to increase that side of himself now though, he has motivation." He had no problem satisfying Komamura's curiosity, he had helped get Rikichi and Hanataro to safety, it would stand to reason he would want to know they were capable of defending themselves.

"With you teaching them I don't doubt they would grow in strength quickly." Komamura observed. "I wish I could tell you more about the Fourth but the workings of that squad aren't as well known to outsiders."

"It's okay, if I get too curious I can just ask Hanataro or Retsu." Ichigo brushed off the Captain's apology, he hadn't been looking for answers when he spoke; it was just musings.

"Yes, that would be for the best," Komamura agreed. "So you are being sent to the living world? I bet you are anxious to get back to your family. Though it sounds like you will have a lot of hard work to do when you get there. None of my members are going or I would introduce you before you headed out."

"I am ready to get back to my family for a while, people have treated me very well while I was here, but I still want to be home for a bit." He didn't need to bring up Jyuushiro and Shunsui here, too many people might overhear that could put the pieces together. He didn't want to get them turned in right when they were about to be separated. It would leave Jyuushiro exposed and possibly interfere with the mission. Best to just keep quiet about the whole thing.

"There is nothing quite like home," Komamura affirmed. "I wish you luck on the mission, and peace when you're gone. You've been through too much already, I don't like that we pulled an outsider into our mess, but I know better than to tell you to stop fighting."

"I was never an outsider." Ichigo responded quietly. "I was born a part of your world even if I didn't know or understand it at the time."

"What do you mean by that?" Komamura asked curiously, that hadn't sounded like Ichigo was talking about fate, instead it was something more concrete.

"I was born a Shinigami, my father was one. I don't know exactly why he left the ranks, but I do know he never came back because he met my mother." Ichigo explained, not feeling a need to hide that part of himself. What was the point? Most of the older Soul Reapers had known his father, why they didn't tell him about it was their own concern, though there was the possibility they thought he already knew and didn't see a point in bringing it up.

"It still isn't right that your choice was taken from you. You haven't been trained in the Academy or assigned a place in a squad. You should have no more responsibility towards this war than the souls in the Rukon. Aizen took that choice away from you. No matter how much many of us wish you didn't have to fight we know you will, you won't let the situation go without doing everything you can to help. That is just the person you are." Komamura observed gravely, not overreacting to hearing Ichigo's family history. It wasn't entirely unexpected from the way he had grown into his power so quickly.

Ichigo nodding, agreeing with his assessment, "I can't leave things as they are, not when it had gotten so personal. I was drawn into this mess long before he abducted me but that certainly helps to motivate me to keep going after him. He will not get away with he has done, and not just to me, this is about everyone he has hurt."

"I won't try and stop you from fighting, just don't lose sight of the good things you are fighting for. When you are surrounded by violence it is easy to forget there is more out there besides that." Komamura advised.

"Yeah I know. I have very good reasons not to forget, but I understand the traps people can fall into. Hopefully I can be strong enough to avoid them." The faces of his loves, family, and friends flashed through his mind. That was what he was fighting for, their safety, and his own peace of mind.

Captain and Substitute settled into an easy discussion of various training tactics as they watched the sparring Squad members around them. Komamura once again impressed with Ichigo, he was just as intelligent as he was powerful. He had faith this young man would make it far in Soul Society when he returned to them.

Soon after his talk with Komamura, and after saying goodbye to Jyuushiro, it was time to meet up at the Senkaimon and head home. Shunsui walked next to him through the gate, Hanataro, Rikichi, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Isane followed. Hanataro and Rikichi were sent on the recommendation of their Captains, both young Soul Reapers practically buzzing with the honor. The Lieutenant in their midst was taken from the Fourth instead of bringing Nanao so they didn't leave any squad without at least their Lieutenant with them. There was already enough missing Captains to leave yet another Squad they would need to help govern in the missing Officer's stead. It didn't hurt that they were bringing two healers with them on a mission that more likely than not would involve fighting with extremely powerful opponents. The extra would definitely be appreciated in the aftermath of battle.

The Senkaimon opened in the Living World right outside Kisuke's shop. The minute Ichigo stepped out of the gate and onto the concrete sidewalk he took a deep breath and relaxed as the scents and sounds of home assaulted him. He nearly hit the ground when the reality hit him that he had survived, he was safe, and his family would be with him again soon.

Shunsui had been watching him carefully, expected some kind of reaction when he returned to his home. This allowed him to steady Ichigo when he started to swoon, releasing him once he was steady but keeping a comforting hand on his lower back. There wasn't anyone here that would say anything about it. That wasn't a coincidence either, there had been a bit of a conspiracy going on with the Captains. The people here were all hand-picked, mostly at the suggestion of Shunsui, and their individual Captains had recommended them so they could stall any future suspicion on the Head-Captain's part.

With Shunsui's help he made it into the store, only to have a body crash into him with enough force to knock the wind out of him, the distinctly feminine curves pressed against him proved it was Yoruichi even before he got a good look at her face. "Damn it Ichigo don't you ever do that again! Do you have any idea how much you scared us? We had no way to get to you or even send a message through. We didn't know if you were alive or dead. Your father has been worried sick about you, and the twins are inconsolable without their big brother. You have a lot of time missing to make up for!" He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't felt it for himself, but there were tears soaking into his Shihakusho from where her face was pressed against him.

"It wasn't like I planned to disappear like that," Okay he was fibbing a little, he had made a deal with Aizen, but he had been planning on finding a way to escape and that just didn't happen. "I'm back now though and I'm not planning on being held captive like that ever again."

"Well I certainly hope you didn't plan on it this time, no matter the next time," Kisuke broke in drily, at least he stayed the same. That was a relief to Ichigo, he did hope there was more like Kisuke to combat the ones likely to react like Yoruichi was.

Ichigo looked up from Yoruichi to glare at his mentor, "You should know I would never abandon everyone like that if I'd had a choice." Which was true, he had every intention of returning from Aizen.

By now Yoruichi was regaining control of herself and pulled away from Ichigo, "You'd better not, or we will save Aizen the trouble and kill you ourselves." She warned, the threat just as terror invoking as any of her other ones despite the drying tear tracks on her cheeks.

Shunsui responded to that one, bringing attention to the others entering the shop behind Ichigo. "Wouldn't that kind of defeat the purpose of keeping him safe?"

"Yes, but it should motivate him to keep his tail feathers out of the fire." Kisuke responded without pause, before a little smile graced his face. "It's good to see you again Shunsui." The familiarity was not as surprising to Ichigo as it should have been. It wasn't like his old mentors hadn't spent much time in Soul Society before their exile, it stood to reason they would still have old friends in the squads.

"I'm just glad you two have done so well with yourselves. Ichigo has spoken of you, and he appears to still be sane after learning from you, so it looks like you haven't changed a bit." Shunsui responded, throwing a mischievous grin at his love when speaking about him.

Kisuke looked around at his shop, "Yeah I guess we have done fairly well for ourselves. Would have been better had we gotten to stick around Seireitei long enough to do more research, but hey what can you do. The past is the past, and a little birdy had informed me that even the echoes will be gone soon. Ichigo was threatened, and he only gets stronger when that happens." He had been one of the few to keep his cool when Ichigo went missing, he had faith his student would find his way home, and here he was.

"We've seen that for ourselves," Shunsui informed, "He has a way of surprising people. Your student even took on teaching while he was gone, both of them came with us." Shunsui pointed out Hanataro and Rikichi as he spoke, bringing attention to the others.

Kisuke raised an eyebrow in interest at the situation, "So you decided to teach, interesting, I'd like to test that for myself." He directed at Ichigo.

"That would be up to them, but I bet they'd pass any test you threw at them," Ichigo's response only increased Kisuke's interest, making him inspect the two Shinigami in question.

"I recognize you, you're Hanataro; you belong to Retsu's squad." Kisuke picked out easily. "I don't think I've met you?" He invited Rikichi to introduce himself. "I'm Rikichi Maeda, I'm in the Sixth squad under Captain Kuchiki."

"Ah you're one of little Bya's members!" Yoruichi looked like she was going to pounce so Ichigo interrupted; thereby saving his student.

"They have picked up a lot in the time I've been teaching them, care to hazard a guess how much?" Ichigo challenged.

Measuring gazes passed over the two younger Soul Reapers as both ex-Captains looked them over. "At least one of them has a Bankai, I wouldn't expect anything less from your students." Yoruichi figured out.

"That one does," Kisuke pointed his cane, the hiding place of Benehime, at Hanataro. "The other has a Shikai that is still new to him."

"How did you manage to guess?" Hanataro asked in amazement.

"It's in the way you carry yourself. People with power stand a certain way, not hard to pick up on when you do it for fun when you get bored." Kisuke answered with a shrug.

Ichigo had to ask the question he'd been putting off, "Do you know where my dad is?" It was time to go see him. Though he did think it would be a good idea to see his dad first, if he had questions about his captivity Ichigo would rather not answer them in front of his sisters. He would shield them as much as he could from the reality of just how bad it had gotten.

"Normally I would say he's already on his way, but you've managed to control your Spiritual Pressure a lot better than you used to." Kisuke admitted, "I bet if you let it flare for a minute or two he will be here quickly."

"Hey Ichigo, I think it would be a good idea to get out of your way, the rest of us will go find a place to stay like we did last time," Yumichika offered, figuring Ichigo would like some time alone to reacquaint himself with his family.

"Thank you Yumichika," Ichigo responded gratefully, "I would appreciate that."

With that Yumichika, Ikkaku, and Isane left without fuss after Kisuke gave them their Gigais. Hanataro and Rikichi hovered by the door uncertainly, and Shunsui looked like he wasn't budging any time soon.

"Rikichi, Hanataro, you can stay," Ichigo allowed, making up their minds for them, "Shunsui I know better than to try to kick you out, so I'm not going to try."

"Good choice," Shunsui responded blandly, teasing Ichigo a bit, there was no force on Earth that would keep him from standing by Ichigo. He knew exactly how emotional Ichigo was likely to get when he met with his father and wanted to be there for him, even if he had to do it quietly until Ichigo was ready to tell about their relationship.

With that straightened out, once Hanataro and Rikichi had seated themselves at the round table Ichigo had plopped himself down at, and Shunsui already there; Ichigo closed his eyes and released his pent up power. It flooded out of him in a wave of pure energy, the others at the table getting goose bumps at the feeling. It had been awhile since Ichigo had willingly let go of his control.

He let it flare wildly for a few minutes, before reining it back in. Now they just had to wait, there was no way anyone with Spiritual sensing abilities in Karakura would have missed that.

Shunsui saw how tense Ichigo was waiting for Isshin to show up, and tried to comfort him, "It's going to be okay Ichigo. You shouldn't be nervous about him."

"I know I need to tell him what Aizen did, he will want to know, but I can't help getting anxious over talking about it." Ichigo confessed.

"Just remember we are right here, you aren't alone, and if you need to take a break or let one of us take over for a while, that is perfectly understandable so don't be afraid to let us know how we can help you." Shunsui assured.

He's barely gotten the sentence out when the familiar feel of Isshin's Spiritual Pressure proceeded him into the shop. He had forgone his gigai, coming in Spiritual form so he could move faster. Ichigo braced himself for what was to come just in time for Isshin to slam into him, way harder than Yoruichi had done.

One of Isshin's hands was running through Ichigo's orange hair, the other checking for injuries as the constant low mantra passed his lips, "You're safe, oh thank Kami, you're safe." That repeated over and over again until Ichigo interrupted him.

"It's okay Dad, I'm back. I'm all healed up, Retsu herself gave me clearance, I'll be fine." He managed to get the flood of words stopped, but Isshin refused to let go of his son.

"You might be fine now, but you definitely weren't before, we nearly lost you. Don't you dare try to deny it!" Isshin responded, his fears and worries over the past few months all boiling out at once. "You were gone for so long, there was no way you came through that completely in one piece."

"I won't deny it," Ichigo mumbled, "I know how close it came, but it didn't happen and I'm right here."

"Ichigo tell me please, what happened, I can't help you if I don't know?" The expected question came, a little sooner than Ichigo was ready for, but he knew he would never feel completely ready to have this conversation.

"You are going to want to sit down," Ichigo warned, his father's concern growing as he settled into an empty spot at the table, barely noticing the other people there.

"Okay Ichigo, I'm ready, now tell me?" Isshin's voice was determinedly encouraging. He needed to hear this, and he suspected Ichigo needed to talk about it in order to keep healing.

Looking at the table to make it easier to keep talking as opposed to looking at his father, Ichigo started to explain. "The first thing you need to know, and I really don't want to admit this, is that Aizen didn't kidnap me. I went to Hueco Mundo under my own power. That bastard had Orihime and I needed to get her back before they could kill her."

"Ichigo we know that much," Isshin confessed, "Your friend told us you saved her by taking her place. She has been tearing herself apart with guilt ever since you left, we keep trying to get through to her, but I doubt anything would except for her seeing you safe again."

Now it was Ichigo's turn to feel guilty, he had been so caught up in the moment he didn't think Orihime might end up blaming herself for his captivity. All he could think about was getting her safely out of there and even knowing what happened afterwards he would do it all over again if it meant sparing her the pain of Aizen's mind games. He would talk to her, and the rest of his friends, when he was done with his family. "They had been keeping her prisoner, but were treating her surprisingly well; I had no idea they would do things so much differently for me. I was not given a room with a bodyguard at all times, I was literally chained at Aizen's feet." Oh god the rush of memories slamming into him had his start to shake. This was harder than he thought it would be.

With a nod of his head towards Shunsui he gave his love permission to carry on with the story. "They kept him chained by using a collar of Seki-Seki stone around his neck, it rendered even his Hollow powerless. They kept him emotionally weakened by not allowing him to wear clothing during his captivity. Aizen would also pit him against the Espada in a training arena; they made him fight weaponless and kept his movements hobbled by attaching his chains to a pole sunk into the ground. They would do this 'training' at least once a day the entire time he was there." He tried to keep his voice as clinical as possible, but Shunsui found himself choking up when he had to explain some of the more humiliating details.

Isshin on his part had gone paler and paler the longer he listened to the story. Realizing it was such a painful topic they had already planned for someone to take over if Ichigo needed to stop. It was nearly as hard for Isshin to hear as it was for Ichigo to answer, all he wanted to do was wrap up Ichigo and hide him away until Aizen was rotting in his grave, but Isshin knew better than anyone that his son was too stubborn to stay away.

"Oh Ichigo, I had no idea how bad it was." Isshin admitted shakily, "How did you manage to get away? It sounds like it would have been nearly impossible."

"It was impossible, at least it was when I tried to break free on my own," Ichigo took over the explanation, having collected himself while Shunsui had taken over. "I had to have help to break out. One of the Espada helped me build up enough power to break the collar, and when I nearly collapsed in reaction to my power coming back he opened a Garganta and had to half-drag me back into Soul Society." He was at least trying to cover up the exact means of Grimmjow's help, hoping Isshin would not know the likeliest solution.

To Ichigo's relief Isshin glommed onto a different part of his explanation, "So there is a rogue Espada in his ranks. I'm not all that surprised, Hollows are difficult to control at all, and Arrancar have far more developed minds. They would fight against a ruler if they had any means at all of doing so. Especially if that ruler was a Shinigami like Aizen."

"You hit the nail on the head," Ichigo responded, "He told me pretty much exactly what you did. I don't know precisely how many of them are willing to go against Aizen, but I know of two of them as they were both involved in my escape."

"What has happened since you got back to Soul Society? I'm guessing you've been getting help dealing with this." Isshin wanted to know his son wasn't left alone with his demons. He was pretty sure that wasn't the case but he still needed to check.

"I've had a lot of help," Ichigo assured, "I've been staying with Captain Ukitake at the Thirteenth. Shunsui and Jyuushiro have been working together with Retsu to get me pulled back together." It felt weird to call Jyuushiro by his proper title, but he would give a token smokescreen to their true relationship for now. He would tell his father when he was calmed down from his return. At least once that one formality was over, his habit of dropping titles was well known enough it wasn't taken as unusual that he did so with the people he was working closely with.

"Thank you for taking care of him," Isshin addressed Shunsui directly. "I'm glad he had someone there for him. You three were always the Captains I had the most respect for."

"It was no problem to give him support," Shunsui assured, "He needed healing so we helped him chase away the past. He has come a long way since he joined us." There was a slight double meaning in that sentence but Isshin wouldn't be able to pick that up until he knew about the trio his son was a part of.

"I can tell that," Isshin agreed with the assessment, "He's stronger than before, and he has control now. That's another thing I need to thank you for."

"Actually the control part wasn't our doing," Shunsui confessed with a fond smile at Ichigo. "He has been learning Kido from the Lieutenant of the Third, Izuru Kira. He has also begun to learn healing from Isane, he is proving to have a talent for it."

Isshin's grin was blinding at hearing that, "You're following in my footsteps, I was a healer too; before I became a Captain I was a Lieutenant in the Fourth." This revelation caused Hanataro to gasp.

Isshin was calmed down enough to pay attention to others now, so he switched focus to Hanataro, "Hello there, I don't think I have met you, either of you." He added the last part when he glanced at Rikichi and couldn't place him.

"I'm a member of the Fourth now, my name is Hanataro Yamada." He spoke with a little awe in his voice, he had a fascination for strong healers and now here was one of them, in the family of a close friend on top of that.

"So that's why you reacted to what I said," Isshin realized, "It's been a long time but I did enjoy my time there, and Retsu and I remained friends until I left."

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir." Hanataro responded honestly, only to hear laughter from the older man.

"It's just Isshin, I don't stand on formality much, must be where Ichigo picked it up," Isshin allowed, watching his son puff up in indignation at the comment about him. Isshin headed off the impending explosion by speaking to Rikichi, "What's your name? Don't be shy, there isn't a need for that around me." He assured, directing it to both Hanataro and Rikichi.

"I'm Rikichi Maeda, I'm in the Sixth squad." He found himself liking Isshin, he really cared about his son, but was very relaxed and easy to talk to when he pulled himself back together.

"Ah, that's the realm of the Kuchikis, must have been interesting for you. I haven't met the current head of the family, but I knew Ginrei." Isshin replied with a bit of nostalgia.

"Ginrei is Byakuya's grandfather," Yoruichi explained, her and Kisuke had been hanging in the background while Ichigo's story was being told, each of them holding back their own horror at the situation Ichigo had managed to survive.

"Hmm, poor kid, Ginrei was a good Captain, but a little stuffy to be teaching a child," Isshin observed.

Yoruichi laughed, remembering several incidents that had proven amusing when she baited the young heir, "It was even more difficult when Byakuya proved to be just as wild as Ichigo. He's settled down quite a bit, but I'm willing to bet if he was provoked right he would revert." She had been almost sad to see the changed in Byakuya when she followed Ichigo back to the Seireitei. Time did that to a person, but she would love to see him with joy in his eyes again.

"Maybe we should try it?" Ichigo suggested, a devilish glint in his eyes, As much as he had grown to respect the noble, he couldn't quite resist the urge to tease him.

"Sometimes it's best not to poke a bear, but I think this time it might be worth it," Yoruichi mused.

Rikichi had been attempting to hold back his laughter since his Captain had been brought up in a way that accented his misspent youth, but it was proving to be too difficult and his soft laughs drew attention back to him, "Sorry but I can't help imagining my Captain acting like that. It is almost more than I can believe."

"Oh it's very true, I used to mess with him all the time, he was very fun to get worked up," Yoruichi confessed, with a look on her face that left no doubt she was plotting something, probably along the lines of what Ichigo suggested.

"May I ask one thing?" Isshin interrupted, changing the topic away from Byakuya, "I can understand Shunsui being here, but why did you two stay for this? I'm not mad just curious." He asked gently, not wanting them to think he was upset the pair of Shinigami were there, Ichigo obviously let them, he simply wanted to know why.

"I trained them when I was in the Soul Society. I am nearly as close to them as I am to Jyuushiro and Shunsui. They helped me get my strength back," Ichigo explained, "Plus they already knew most of the story from spending time with me."

"How did the training go?" This was the first time he had heard of his son taking on teaching.

"We loved it," Hanataro answered for the both of them, "Rikichi and I had run into some trouble with a group of thugs. Ichigo found us all beaten up, and when he visited us in the Fourth he offered to train us. I know I can talk for the both of us when I say we are very thankful for his help, and we tried to get the most out of it as we could."

Ichigo had to hold back a snort, some of it leaking through, "They did amazing. I got Hanataro up to Bankai and he is learning how to use it more every day, and Rikichi started not knowing the name of his Zanpakuto and now he has a fully controlled Shikai."

"Pretty impressive, on both sides," Isshin commented, "So does everyone have a place to stay while you are here?"

"I'm staying with Kisuke," Shunsui explained, the arrangements made in advance after Ichigo and him had deciding being under the same roof would be more than a little distracting and the shop was going to be mission headquarters, they would see each other every day.

"We weren't sure where to go, we were going to look around for someplace cheap to rent," Rikichi answered first. Hanataro had gotten a job the last time he had come to the Living World, his and Ganju's salaries had been enough to rent a small apartment, it was tight quarters but they managed it.

"Save on the rent, my daughters know about Soul Society now, we had to tell them to explain why Ichigo was gone; you two can stay with us. We have the room." He offered, figuring they could put the twins together in one, they were prone to crawling in bed together anyway when they needed comfort at least with this excuse they wouldn't have to sneak around. Doing that would free up the other room for the two Soul Reapers.

"You would really let us into your home?" Hanataro asked cautiously.

"Ichigo trusts you, that's enough for me, and it isn't like we have never housed a Shinigami before," Isshin responded simply with a shrug.

"Thank you, that means a lot to us," Rikichi accepted after a quick look at Hanataro and getting a nod of assent.

"Then come with us, we will get you settled in while the girls tackle their brother," Isshin invited with a laugh at the pictured reaction of his children's reunion.

With a last goodbye to Shunsui, Yoruichi, and Kisuke; Ichigo and Isshin left for home trailing the two invited Soul Reapers.

This left Shunsui alone with the two ex-Captains, and he was immediately the recipient of two very piercing gazes. He sighed in resignation before speaking, "Alright, just go ahead and ask," He ordered, knowing what the next question would probably be.

Kisuke beat Yoruichi to the question, "So how long have you been together with Ichigo?"

"Officially? A little less than a month. It feels like a lot longer though." Shunsui admitted. "Jyuushiro and I talked about it off and on for a while before an opportunity came to approach Ichigo." There was no need to hide the fact they were a trio from these two. Yoruichi had been a full-fledged member of their meetings, and Kisuke was a supporter. They had been around for one of their previous tries at adding a third.

Shunsui spared a brief thought for how they might react to the knowledge of who the previous try had been. That had been after they left Seireitei. He decided to keep quiet about it for now, they were putting him on the spot enough already.

"So it was you that approached him?" Yoruichi asked, wanting to get the facts straight to help her understand the situation.

"It ended up being a mixed up mutual kind of thing," Shunsui informed. "He had been talking with Jyuushiro, and it got to the point he was worked up enough to touch him. It wasn't like he did anything that bad, just brushed his hair away from Jyuushiro's face, but he ran away like a thousand Hollows were after him, plus all the Espada. His reaction to the event was our signal to approach him, he would not have reacted so strongly to what he had done if he didn't have thoughts about going further. When he ran instead of trying to push the issue with Jyuushiro also let us know how much he cared, and the lengths he would go to protect us by distancing himself from something he clearly wanted."

"How much did you tell him about what he would be getting himself into?" Yoruichi's voice was both worried and challenging. They had better have done the right thing by her student or they would find themselves mauled by a certain talkative feline.

"We told him everything about both the good and bad things, we gave him more than one chance to walk away if the consequences were too much to handle. He even saw some of it first hand, Hanataro mentioned him and Rikichi had a problem with some thugs in the Seireitei, it's because they were caught together. They were injured badly enough it took a full week for them to be healed enough Ichigo could train them, and you know how good Retsu is at healing. Rikichi had a pretty bad head wound, Hanataro broke a couple ribs." Shunsui's voice was sorrowful as he explained what happened to the young couple. It was far more than they should have had to handle. "Ichigo really did find them by the way, he was first on the scene and had to drive the mongrels who did it away from them."

"Ichigo had been through way too much," Yoruichi realized, "Please tell me you did not go to him out of pity? He will not be able to handle much more trauma before he breaks."

"We would never do something this serious out of pity or guilt, we both love him very deeply. I fell in love with him because of his strength and his kindness, what he went through at Aizen's hands could have very easily made him bitter and angry; but in the end he is all the more gentle with people. His rage is solely directed at Aizen. His perseverance was something that caused us to take notice of him as more than just a student. He has a very pure soul and we both want to keep it that way. Jyuushiro was drawn to both his gentle side, and his will to protect above everything else. You should see the way Ichigo handles his insecurities about his illness. He surprises us every day with new observations about us that make us want to melt. When we are together it just fits so naturally. Like we are an extension of each other, Jyuushiro and I didn't just insert him into our relationship, he helped it grow into something new and even stronger than we were before." Once Shunsui started talking he couldn't bring himself to stop. Ichigo was so wonderful he could keep talking for hours about it, but he could see he had already won them over when the tension relaxed out of their muscles.

Kisuke was the first to respond, "I for one trust you two to make the right calls when it comes to him, but we had to make sure. He had many people just as protective of him as he is of everyone else, the people in this room included. If anything were to happen to him after this the person responsible will not get off lightly."

"Ichigo will never come to harm from either Jyuushiro or myself, we would lay down our lives for him, as he would for us. You're welcome to observe how we act while we stay here, just to assure you I have only good intentions towards him." Shunsui insisted sincerely.

"We will make sure you keep that promise." Yoruichi said sternly.

"Nothing will ever make me break it." Shunsui promised.


	17. It's Not Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old friends meet once more

Hanataro and Rikichi were chuckling in the corner, trying not to draw attention to themselves as Ichigo was glomped and nearly knocked down by two medium sized blurs; otherwise known as his little sisters.

Karin had tackled him on his left side, Yuzu on his right, and he was now firmly sandwiched between two sobbing little girls. "Hey it's alright, I'm back you guys. I'm okay, you don't have to cry." Ichigo spoke gently trying to calm them down, he hated it when his little sisters cried. Now they were doing it because of him.

"Ichi, don't you ever scare us like that again!" Karin did a remarkable job of quoting their father despite not being at the shop during his and Ichigo's reunion.

"I won't," Ichigo promised, knowing he'd walk through Hell before he'd let an enemy tear him away from the people he was supposed to protect.

"You better not," Surprisingly that was Yuzu speaking up, the normally calm twin nearly as worked up as her sister.

He didn't say anything more, just let them cling to him while they cried out their fears and worries. That's just what a big brother did.

Eventually the girls came around enough to let go, but they still stayed within a two foot radius of him. Though Yuzu was the one who thought to ask, "Do I need to set two more places for dinner?" She was looking at Hanataro and Rikichi for the first time.

"Yes please. Yuzu, Karin, these are my friends Hanataro and Rikichi." He pointed to the Shinigami in question as he gave their names.

They were met with a measuring stare from the black haired twin, "You've been with my brother?"

"Yes," Hanataro responded first, "He was recovering, and we helped each other." He explained.

"How?" Yuzu asked curiously.

"I'm a healer, I helped to patch him up when he was brought back to us, and he found Rikichi and I when we were in trouble, he protected us and then trained us to fight harder." Hanataro elaborated for the young girls, not missing the fact Karin was listening to his answer just as intently as Yuzu.

"Sounds like Ichi alright," Karin judged. "Are you staying with us?" Seemed a reasonable assumption to make considering the last time Ichigo brought a soul reaper home.

"Yes," Rikichi spoke up for the first time. "Your father said it was all right."

"Oh good, I like having company, and if you're friends of Ichi that just makes it better," Yuzu said with a welcoming smile, Karin just nodding in agreement with her sister.

"Thank you!" both Rikichi and Hanataro responded at the same time, nearly identical smiles on their faces.

Soon enough the six of them were sitting at the table, bowls of steaming curry in front of them. Ichigo feeling like he was finally home as soon as the first bite hit his tongue. It tasted of family and home, the meal familiar to him from all the times Yuzu had made it for them. It was easily his favorite meal.

It wasn't long before the food was devoured and the occupants of the house were getting tired, especially Ichigo since the day had been so emotionally taxing due to his confession to his father. It didn't take long to switch Yuzu into Karin's room, they didn't need to move absolutely everything, at least not on the first night. There was no telling how long Rikichi and Hanataro would need to stay, so Ichigo was willing to bet over the next week or so they would see a total migration of Yuzu's things, and that was purely from knowing his sisters' habits. It didn't bother them one bit to share a room, they interchanged their things so much as it was he suspected even they weren't sure who the original owner of certain items was.

The next morning, Ichigo didn't go to school. He had been missing so long he was so far behind he would have to study in his own time to catch up, Kon went in his place just as he had been doing for the past eight months. With his body gone and his friends in class he made good on a promise he had made to Shunsui.

First Ichigo dropped Hanataro and Rikichi back off at Kisuke's shop so his mentors could put them through their paces. From there he collected Shunsui, not telling the older Shinigami where he was taking him.

Ichigo had gotten a lot better at tracking Spiritual Pressure along with learning control. He used the newly honed skills to confirm the targeted group was still in the same broken-down warehouse.

Shunsui had far more practice at tracking spiritual pressure than Ichigo, and was able to tell exactly what Ichigo was up to as soon as they came within range of the hideout. Visoreds. All of their power trails had been altered by the Hollowfication process, but he still knew who they were, and in their midst was the one he had lost.

Ichigo stood out of the way as the Visoreds came out of the training area to meet them, having felt the new presence of Shunsui. Ichigo didn't know who looked more shocked his love or Lisa when they finally saw each other again. Both of them froze in place, no one else sure of what to do so the silence between them was not broken for a long while.

Eventually Shunsui's exuberance won out over surprise and he grabbed his former Lieutenant up in a crushing hug, Lisa resisting the urge to bat him away, she well remembered his ways with touching and it was actually a comfort that he was still willing to act the same way no matter that she harbored a Hollow inside her.

While they were reuniting, the others swarmed around Ichigo. He endured yet another round of reassurances and chastisements to never do it again. He was getting used to that reaction, but he hoped things would go back to normal soon.

Thankfully they did not ask for the full story, not yet anyway. The Visoreds would be one group well aware some parts of a person's history were not easily talked about if they could manage it at all. They would wait until he was ready to talk to them before getting more answers.

"Thank you for bringing him." Shinji changed the subject, lowering his voice enough they could speak without drawing attention from Shunsui and Lisa. They deserved some privacy for their long over-due reunion. "She missed him very badly, and it terrified her that if they met again he would hate her. We all tried to tell her he wouldn't have cared that she was a Visored, but I knew she wouldn't believe us until she saw it for herself."

"Shunsui, Jyuushiro, and Retsu were the ones who patched me up when I got back from Aizen. When Shunsui told me he missed Lisa so much I couldn't not bring him. We are just lucky he was the Captain chosen for this mission or it would have been a lot more difficult to bring them back together." Ichigo brushed off. This was something that meant so much to his love it was second nature to give it to him. That it helped Lisa also gave Ichigo a good feeling, he felt attached to all his fellow Visoreds and if they were hurting he would do whatever he could to make them feel better again.

Shunsui and Lisa came back over to the rest of them, Shunsui still draping an arm around her shoulders. The joy and relief in his eyes made Ichigo's heart clench. He had done the right thing in bringing them together, the proof was right in front of his eyes.

"It's been a long time," Shunsui addressed the rest of the Visoreds with a smile, "It's good to see all of you made it through."

"Tell us the truth, how many people in the Seireitei thought our exile was the right thing?" This was Hiyori, the girl hanging back in the group, hands crossed over her chest looking at him accusingly. It was all well and good to say those things, but she wouldn't believe him until he gave her proof.

"About half," Shunsui didn't bother with his usual teasing, knowing it wouldn't go over well when dealing with the kind of questions she would likely throw at him after his response. "A lot of that was due to fear I think. Most of the older ones though, we were more afraid for you rather than of you. We had no idea what would happen to you over time. I meant what I said I am very glad to see all of you safe. We weren't sure that would be the case."

"If that's true why didn't anyone speak for us?" Hiyori demanded.

"It happened too fast, by the time all the Captains heard what was going on you were already gone and we believed if we went after you all we would do is put you in more danger of discovery." They had to make a choice in those chaotic times, their faith in their comrades helped them decide what to do. They could take better care of themselves if they weren't being hounded by Soul Society.

"Has anything actually changed?" Shinji had a hand on the fuming girl's shoulder attempting to calm her a bit but well aware he was in danger of bodily harm from the hot-headed former Lieutenant. "You are here now, is it any safer?"

"Aizen is on the loose, he's planning something big, no one is safe." Shunsui responded seriously. "We need every good warrior we can get. I also missed my Lisa, and counted the rest of you as friends. I wanted to come."

Ichigo interrupted, "I also didn't tell him where I was taking us. If I didn't say it out loud there would be no way of overhearing. Kisuke checked and doesn't think we have any trackers from the twelfth on us, and I have been here often enough they would have picked it up sooner if I was being tracked that closely, I thought it was worth the risk to bring us here."

"What do you know about Aizen that we don't? We've been trying to track down his minions but we get bogged down in chasing what amount to Hollow pests." Kensei spoke this time, he had his own opinions on soul society, but for now he would trust in Ichigo's judgment. He'd been through hell and had the closest contact with Aizen, he was motivated to protect his friends even more than he always had been.

"Those pests you keep running into is a part of it, but we honestly have no idea what that part is." Shunsui admitted. "Souls are going missing, but not one living person has been touched. This area of the Living World is crawling with humans possessing higher than average spiritual pressure. That should be practically irresistible to any Hollow no matter what class if left on their own."

"You think someone is controlling them and the only one we know of that's uniting Hollows together for a singular purpose is Aizen." The former Captain of the Ninth realized.

"Yes," Ichigo confirmed, taking over from Shunsui. "I have an idea on how to figure out more about what exactly Aizen is planning."

Shunsui jumped in briefly, "Not that we like it, but he has the only plan that's even slightly possible at this point."

"You are going to rush headlong into danger again aren't you?" Shinji chastised, making Ichigo cringe but nod.

"The way I see it we don't really have a choice." Ichigo decided to explain himself quickly. He realized holding anything back would only cause the other Visoreds to pry deeper into the problem. "I know how to get in contact with the Espada that helped me escape. There are several of Aizen's top warriors that are more pissed off at him than they are at us. They would rat him out in a heartbeat if it meant they would be free of the bastard."

"And the catch is?" Shinji knew better than to think any of Ichigo's plans would be that simple, and he knew Shunsui enough to know if he was concerned about something there was a reason to be.

Again Ichigo couldn't quite meet any of their eyes, "I know how to do it, but the catch is I don't know which Espada is helping in the Living World, with something this big Aizen would not trust it to someone else. At the very least there is a Fraccion here reporting back to their Espada in Las Noches which amounts to about the same thing. Personally though, knowing Aizen, it will be an Espada. My plan to reach Grimmjow means I have to bait the one who is here enough to have them complaining about it during their report."

Shinji's eyes widened in surprise, "Grimmjow? Your plan for information revolves around him?" He asked incredulously, leaving the part about irritating an Espada for later. He had actually fought Grimmjow before, and he couldn't wrap his mind around Ichigo actively trying to draw the violent Espada close to him.

"Yes. He is the only one I know for certain is willing to betray Aizen." Ichigo insisted.

Love beat any of the others to a response, "What makes you so certain?"

"Because he has already done it," Ichigo admitted. "He was the one who broke me out of Las Noches, hell he practically carried me through the Garganta to the Soul Society. Something that big can't be passed off as a whim on his part, it was planned out in advance, Grimmjow is fighting tooth and nail to rebel against Aizen without getting himself killed."

"How exactly are you planning on contacting him?" Kensei asked the question Shinji had avoided.

"Ah yeah, the best way of getting an Espada's attention is to use another Espada against them." Ichigo was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, he knew how much of a gamble this sounded like, but he was convinced it was the only way. "I highly doubt Grimmjow is the one trusted to be the babysitter here. It's someone else. Worst case is Barragan he hates both Aizen and me and can use my death to get a stab in at Aizen. Best case would be Grimmjow himself, but I already explained why that isn't likely, other than him Harribel would be a safer bet. She doesn't fight, not unless she has to, I think she would hear me out if nothing else."

"What are the chances something like that would work?" Rose asked. He trusted Ichigo to know what he was doing most of the time, but they had already witnessed what he was willing to do to protect the people he loved. He would put himself into extreme danger if it spared others.

"If I get the right Espada I know it will, finding the wrong one would make it more difficult." He responded honestly. "I want to avoid Barragan, Ulquiorra, and Nnoitra. Anyone lower and I'm not worried about defending myself against them. I know how they fight and I can beat them as long as I have Zangetsu and Junichi backing me up."

"Any of those three likely to be here?" Rose continued to question, his Captain side coming out.

"Of the three the only one I see Aizen possibly assigning here would be Ulquiorra. Nnoitra is just as volatile as Grimmjow while being a step higher in power. He keeps Barragan closely under his thumb, even he knows an Arrancar that old poses a real threat to him if left to his own devices. Ulquiorra might be more powerful than Nnoitra but he follows every order given to him and is usually much more restrained." Ichigo laid out from what he'd observed in his more lucid moments in Las Noches.

"How many people do you think it would take to back you up if it is him?" That was Kensei getting down to practicality.

"There is a good chance with him that I can do it myself, but I doubt I will be functional for a long time afterword. If I want to keep myself in fighting shape there should be a minimum of two there and three would be better." At least he had a solid answer for that particular question. Ever since the basic idea had come to him he'd been fine tuning it in his mind.

Shunsui broke in at that point, having left the explanation up to Ichigo since it was his plan, but this was something he wouldn't leave unsaid. "No matter who it is, I will not let Ichigo go out hunting them alone. Anyone else who wants to help track them down should be in pairs as well."

"Anything that has a chance of bringing down that bastard is worth a shot," Shinji decided, not needing to ask if the others felt the same. When you live in such close quarters for so long you learned a lot about how the others' thought. "I agree we should go at least in pairs, but what happens if we do find them when you aren't there Ichigo?"

"Well you can bet they have their own power shielded or we would have already felt them, make sure they keep shielding then send up a flare. If I feel that I will know to come to you. Also with me I don't mind being followed but I don't think we should be obvious about it, I think I have a better shot of making non-violent contact with them if I appear to be alone." That was another thing Ichigo had thought of after Shunsui had insisted he wouldn't be left alone. He was willing to compromise on that point if it meant his love would let him go through with the plan.

"I can do that," Shunsui allowed, with the Visoreds nodding in agreement. "You are the one that has the best idea of how to pull this off. Unless you are deliberately risking yourself more than necessary I will follow your lead." He promised.

"I just thought of something," Love spoke up, "What if we encounter one of the three you are worried about, is the plan still the same? Maybe you rushing towards them would be a very bad idea."

"Doesn't matter," Ichigo insisted, "I still need to get a message to Grimmjow, but using one of those three will be different than others. Some of them I feel comfortable enough to outright ask, or at least imply enough they can figure it out. I'm essentially just going to be pissing off the rest. They can go on some impressive rants and that's how I intend to get to Grimmjow indirectly through them."

"You really think some are going to listen to you without fighting?" Hiyori was skeptical of Ichigo's plan. Fighting her own Hollow left her with full knowledge of just how violent and dangerous a Hollow could be and Arrancar had much more developed minds than the typical low level pests they dealt with in the living world.

"Definitely not the majority, but there are a few that yes I think they will listen to me. I know I have said Harribel doesn't like fighting and Starrk is the same way. Szayel may be a possibility but I doubt he's here, Aizen uses him as a researcher, he's much more useful staying in his lab than working in the field no matter how tough of a fighter he is. It's not a good idea to underestimate him because his power is less than others. He has one of the more elaborate releases out of the Espada. I don't know about Zommari, he could go either way, he kept to himself too much for me to get a firm read on his personality." Ichigo responded, he felt lucky the two strongest on his safe list were reasonable. He really didn't want to get into a battle with either one in the living world, too much opportunity for innocents to get hurt.

"Looks like you have enough figured out that this might work. Now who else came with you? Just want to know if we have to dodge them or not." Shinji figured they learned as much as they could about the plan, it was time to move on.

"I don't think you've met any of them," Shunsui warned. "Four officers and one Lieutenant came with us, Retsu sent her Lieutenant and one of the officers, Squad Six sent one, and Squad Eleven sent two. We picked them ourselves, they will not be a threat to you. Two in particular want to meet you, Ichigo taught them and it made them curious about the rest of you." Hanataro and Rikichi had confessed to that as soon as it was confirmed they would be going to the Living World with the team.

"Kisuke pounced on them first didn't he?" Mashiro's question was half-serious and half-rhetorical. They knew the experiment crazy ex-Captain would not let something like that slide away from him without studying them.

"He should be running them into the ground right about now," Ichigo confirmed with a small smile at the thought of his mentor doing the same thing he had done to him with Hanataro and Rikichi. Those two could use the extra training, Ichigo had no doubt they wouldn't be content staying at the level he had worked them hard to achieve, Rikichi especially.

"Well guys, feel like going on a field trip?" Shinji asked mischievously. "We haven't bugged him for awhile, sounds like it's time to break that streak."

"Might as well, nothing else to do around here," Kensei shrugged. "Plus it might be nice to talk to new people that are curious about us. It could clear up a lot of things if they take the stories back to Soul Society."

Ichigo couldn't stop himself from smirking, "Oh, I think I forgot to mention something. I don't just have a plan for getting into contact with the Espada, I also have an idea of what could come after." He explained. "If you had the choice to come back to the Soul Society with the approval of the Head-Captain, would you do it?"

"For me, I think it would depend on why." Shinji decided. "If it is just to save face, then no, I will do him no favors. If there is an actual need or purpose for us, then maybe."

"Well, I already said the reason I think the Espada will listen to me is because they hate Aizen more than us, I'd imagine it's probably similar for you," Ichigo guessed.

"He's right Shinji." Love realized. "You've had the most contact, we know that, but he ruined all of our lives, we can never get back what he took. Even if we took back our old spots tomorrow there will still be a century of exile to overcome."

"So is that an actual offer, or just wishful thinking?" Rose asked, quietly agreeing with Love.

"Mostly wishful thinking," Ichigo admitted, "But with Retsu, Jyuushiro, and Shunsui backing up the request we might get somewhere. No one here has done anything wrong since coming to the Living World, hard to make an argument that you guys are dangerous, and the fact they found out Aizen was a con man might help with that too."

"True, though that last part affected Kisuke more than us. At the time I don't think it mattered where we got our Hollows, the problem was we had them in the first place." Lisa contributed to the conversation for the first time. "Though you were allowed to remain. That could be a sign that things are changing regarding that."

Ichigo sighed, "Maybe, but I think it has more to do with their ability to use me. My Hollow is strong, and they were heading into a war unlike when you were Hollowfied. Also I was mostly untrained so they had the opportunity to influence me from the beginning about fighting and Hollows. Our circumstances were completely different unfortunately."

Mashiro spoke first, "I think it would be worth giving them a chance. As much as I am angry at them, I also worry about our friends that are still there. I don't want to abandon them."

"They abandoned us!" Hiyori broke out angrily. "We've been stuck here for a century and no one has come to help us. Why should we help them?"

"It wasn't their choice Hiyori." Shinji chastised sharply, ducking the sandal to the head as he continued speaking. "What if we were in their place? What would we have done? It's nearly impossible to go against Yamamoto if he's made up his mind, and he had. You just heard Shunsui, everything happened too fast for anyone who actually wanted to help to act. Kisuke has us protected here, I also agree with him that coming to us would have just put us in more danger."

"So forgive and forget, is that what you're saying?" She challenged crossing her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"No." Shinji refuted. "I don't mean forget, but they should be given a chance to be forgiven. This is a grudge that shouldn't last forever, at least not the people that haven't done anything to us. I know I will never forget Central 46 and Yamamoto for what they did, but others either didn't know or couldn't do anything about it. Even those that agreed with our execution were only following the direction of the Head-Captain."

"Shinji, Hiyori, maybe we should drop this for now, we have time to think about it for a while longer. Ichigo told us there wasn't anything formal about the offer yet." Kensei interrupted, breaking up the heated discussion before it could go too far. Those two were always volatile even when they didn't have opposing views.

"You're right Kensei," Love agreed. "We shouldn't read too much into this until we know more."

"Are we still going to see Kisuke?" Mashiro asked cautiously, the tension making her more serious than usual.

"Yes. I think we need to do something to cool off, and I still want to meet the kids Ichigo trained." Shinji decided, knowing the others were right to change the topic.

Shunsui couldn't help but laugh as he and Ichigo lead the mismatched group out of the warehouse and towards Kisuke's shop, "They aren't kids Shinji, young yes, but not kids. The one is older than Byakuya." That was a little tidbit of information Ichigo had shared with Jyuushiro and Shunsui.

"You know that isn't much to their credit right? I still kinda think of Byakuya as a kid too." Shinji pointed out. "Last I saw him he was still trying to catch up to Yoruichi when she provoked him. He was just a little hot-head then."

"And he gets mad at me just for using his first name?" Ichigo teased. "I wonder how he'd react to someone calling him a kid?"

"If we do end up in Soul Society you will probably get that answer," Shinji assured. "I don't think many of us could resist telling on him to the people that thinks he is an overly serious stick in the mud."

"Well he kind of is like that now," Ichigo pointed out, hey he was just being honest.

"That is circumstantial, he's had some hard luck in the past few decades, but I bet with the right push he would start acting a bit like himself again," Shunsui explained.

That was the second time Ichigo had heard an older captain hint at problems in Byakuya's past, the first being Retsu in one of his first few discussions with her. He made a mental note to try and figure out what it was that could change a person so drastically.

Soon the shop came into view, Ichigo discreetly touching Shunsui's hand to get his attention, allowing the Visoreds to enter fist and drop to the back. "I thought of something while we were talking." He explained. Ichigo wasn't sure this was something he wanted overheard right away. "We were talking about being able to persuade Yamamoto with the right number of people protesting to him."

"Yes, it's possible in some cases, why?" Shunsui had an idea where this was going, but was reluctant to say more than necessary, it was another one of the darker aspects of the Seireitei.

"If that's the case, why can't we get anything changed with the taboo against us? From what I've heard a majority of the Captains support us, so why not?" Yep, it was what Shunsui had been afraid of. Although he should have expected it at some point with how smart Ichigo was, honestly he was more surprised it had taken as long as it had for him to notice.

"I hoped you wouldn't ask that," Shunsui confessed honestly. "I don't like it either. The reason Yamamoto is so steadfast in his opposition of us is he needs a ready-made target for Soul Reapers who get violent when they are bored. We are an easy way of doing that, because let's face it there will always be discrimination against something different than ourselves in general, he is just sanctioning that behavior. I do believe we can change his attitude towards the hollow/Shinigami hybrids like the Visoreds and Espada because we are going into a war and no one can deny your strength. We need you in other words."

"…The sad part about that is I'm not real surprised that's the case." Ichigo observed. "I've come to expect that kind of thing from the rules here. It could have been worse I guess. At least knowing that we have a starting point at getting things changed without Yamamoto being able to do anything about it. If enough people back us up there would be no one powerful enough to be threat to us anymore."

"I was expecting more anger," Shunsui admitted, "But I like what you've thought of. Jyuushiro and I have believed that for a long time, but it's been difficult to get together enough people to deny him openly like that. It's a real risk for high officers to take, demotion and exile to the Maggot's Nest is not out of the realm of possible consequences."

"That is going to change, if I have to drag people kicking and screaming into the light. I have nothing to lose, so I can make the first move, we can only hope the rest will follow," He affirmed.

"With that attitude they just might," Shunsui smiled at him approvingly before heading into the shop with the rest so their absence wouldn't be too noticeable.


	18. I Need to Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little surprise for Ichigo in this one.

It had been a month, and there had been no Arrancar spotted that ranked Espada level; or even fraccion. Ichigo was still confident there was an Espada out there somewhere governing the lower class trouble makers. Whoever it was must just be extremely good at cloaking their Spirit Pressure, which is probably why their presence had yet to be recorded by the Soul Society in any report.

At least they had the distraction of training. Kisuke had been running his students into the ground, but he liked the potential he saw and after hearing their story he took them under his wing and taught them like he had Ichigo. It was a very nice feeling to work with a mainly blank slate and watch over how quickly they progressed, as he had proven with Ichigo if a person does not know what the normal limits were they can't be constrained by their own thoughts.

Now though Ichigo was stuck with another night of wandering, the few flashes of Spirit Pressure he felt were barely enough to stir his interest, but he couldn't just leave them to hunt down innocent souls. He brought them down quickly, their strength no match for him. He wasn't quite sure who his shadow was tonight, he was starting to get tired of being shadowed every step of the way, so the vast majority had started putting more distance between them. It was silently acknowledged that of all of them, Ichigo was likely the strongest, and the more he trained the safer he was even by himself.

He suspected this night would end like all the others, him stumbling back at dawn to rest in Shunsui's arms before he would have to be back home to continue his efforts to catch up in school; it was a daunting and near impossible task.

Only that wasn't the case, he was about to get his wish for a little excitement just not in a way he would have ever expected. A few hours after midnight, something changed in the atmosphere, a burst of Spiritual Pressure far stronger than the others he had faced.

One of Barragan's fraccion if he was reading the thread right, he hadn't had much contact with that group, but it was just enough to sense the connection. He sped after it, taking several long minutes to get there from as far away as he was.

The feel of the power was fluctuating like he was battling something, and soon after a second strong thread of power joined with his. They must not have been able to keep their presence suppressed during battle. It was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it in the mix of power swirling around the battleground.

When he arrived he was witness to a scene that caused him to attack the fraccion, Findor by the looks of it, with all the strength he could muster.

"Courtesy of King Barragan," The crab like Arrancar had taken one look at the enraged Ichigo and spit out the words before escaping into a Garganta.

Ichigo growled in frustration, but there was something that deserved his attention far more than the cruel fraccion. He quickly knelt beside the injured body of the childlike Arrancar laying on the ground making a small quick flare of his power to tell his shadow for the night that he didn't need help, two pulses meant trouble he couldn't handle alone.

He was already starting to heal the injured girl before he spoke, "Lilynette what are you doing here without Starrk?" No matter that she was an Arrancar, and the fraccion of the Primera; all that mattered in Ichigo's eyes was she was a child in need of healing.

"He had to go back, make a report; I stayed to finish the work." Lilynette admitted, her pink eyes pained; she had a pretty bad gash in her side, plus rapidly blooming blue-black bruises.

"Why on Earth would he let you stay by yourself?" If he knew one thing about Starrk it was how fanatic he was towards Lilynette's safety.

She turned her head away with a sigh as his healing progressed, the pain easing, "He didn't have a choice; Aizen's orders. He thought I would be safe if I hid myself as best as I could and stayed low while he was gone. It was safer for him to go back to Las Noches by himself than me."

"Or at least you thought so," Ichigo finished her thought for her, getting a nod. "That was Barragan's fraccion wasn't it?"

She nodded, "He knows if he eliminates me, Starrk would be weakened; Barragan could take our place." She winced at realizing what she had just admitted to Ichigo. He had relaxed her too much and she had answered without thinking.

Ichigo's eyes softened in response to her fear, "Relax, I don't hurt children, even ones like you that only look the part." He was under no illusions that Lilynette was actually as young as she looked.

Oh well, cat's out of the bag now; might as well keep plowing through it. "Even knowing you could weaken or eliminate an Espada?"

"Still can't do it," Ichigo admitted, "It is not your fault you are Starrk's weak point, if I am going to fight him then it will be a direct battle. I hate fighting dirty."

"Good thing," She stated, "Had you said anything else, you would be dead right about now."

"You are hardly in any shape to fight," Ichigo pointed out.

She managed a wan smile, "I might not be, but he is." Her gaze was fixed on a point behind and above his shoulder.

Heart dropping like a stone, Ichigo slowly turned to meet the steel gray eyes of the Primera Espada, who had his sword drawn and positioned a few inches away from the back of his neck. "You are lucky Lilynette asked you the right question when she did. Otherwise your head would be on the ground; cub or no cub."

"I never hurt children!" he responded indignantly, that was until his brain caught up with the tail end of the Espada's speech. "Wait, what? Cub? What are you talking about?"

The tip of Starrk's Zanpakuto lowered as Ichigo's words calmed him down, though the last part caused him some amusement as he informed Ichigo. "The one curled up inside you, a girl by the feel of it. You didn't know?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ichigo's blanch told him he had hit the nail on the head, "No, I didn't." He responded weakly. He was pregnant, as in having a baby, which would result in him being a parent. He felt a bit light headed, close to fainting at the realization.

Then the fear hit him, he was in front of an Espada; one so capable of killing him it wasn't even funny. Now he had a weak point, something he would do anything to protect despite not knowing about the baby a few minutes earlier. He would not let anything hurt it.

Starrk did something unexpected, he walked away from Ichigo to sit on the other side of Lilynette. "Another thing you are lucky for, I don't hurt cubs either." He stuck with the same term he used before. "I would do it to protect her though." He admitted with a glance at Lilynette. She was his world, he could not bear losing her.

Ichigo knew about his association with wolves, just as he knew Grimmjow was a panther, and Ulquiorra a bat; that explained the cub thing. He also wasn't particularly surprised at his confession. "I might do the same thing if I had to." He informed quietly. He might not know the whole story about the two of them, but he hadn't missed the plural Lilynette had used earlier. These two were connected in a way other Arrancar weren't. He pulled one hand away from the mostly healed fraccion and put it on his lower belly, "…You're really sure about the baby?"

"Absolutely, I know your power, and there is something else now. Like I said, probably a girl with how she feels." Starrk admitted, lazy yes, but very perceptive. Nnoitra was commonly considered the best with Pesquisa but if you looked closer he was only the second, Starrk was better.

Ichigo's fear for his newly discovered baby only grew as he remembered the large stumbling block named Yamamoto, "Exactly how easy is it tell? This will not go over well and I need to keep her safe." He wanted her, he didn't even have to think about it.

"For us, simple, for Shinigami not so much," Starrk was willing to answer Ichigo's questions as a way of showing gratitude for the rescue and healing of his other half. "We sense power differently. Ours is more primal, theirs is more complex, but for something like this our way is better. We sense physical strengths and weaknesses better. I know you have a cub because her presence clashes with yours, while a Shinigami who senses power far more than physical strength will not know unless they are looking for her. You are very strong, not hard to see that, so for now power wise yours covers her. That might not be true as she gets bigger though." He warned, he did indeed have a soft spot for children. He was curious to see what this one would turn out like if she lived.

He wavered for a minute between wanting answers and not wanting to annoy him into reacting badly, though with him Ichigo was fully aware he was probably the hardest to piss off; you just really didn't want to be around him when he did get that way. "You said when she gets bigger, so um, do you think you could tell how big she is now?"

"Let me guess you want to know if she is Grimmjow's right?" At the deer in the headlights look he got from the Visored Starrk knew he was correct, "Don't look at me like that. If I am good enough at sensing to pick up such a young cub do you really think I wouldn't notice just whose power was combining with yours that night?"

"I didn't think anyone knew, or Grimmjow would already be dead… wait he isn't is he?" Ichigo actually felt his heart clench at that. He owed that over-confidant Arrancar for his freedom, of course he would be interested in knowing if their actions had gotten him killed.

"He's alive," Starrk informed, "I said I knew, not others, much like with the cub yours covered his; he didn't give you his power until you were already breaking through your restraints and he knew his would blend in with yours. I should warn you Nnoitra could probably sense what happened too and possibly Harribel. Neither one are going to say anything though."

"You are all working together aren't you?" Ichigo figured out, he knew there were more Espada in on it than Grimmjow and Szayel but he didn't expect it be nearly half of them.

"Yes," He admitted pulling the now passed out Lilynette into his lap, she was exhausted from Findor's attack. "At first it wasn't too bad under Aizen, he was keeping the promises he made at least, but that was before he left Soul Society to live with us permanently. He treated as all like misbehaving children that needed a firm hand, when at least half the Espada are actually older than him. You were physically chained yes, but no less free than we are now. Also you had several of us deciding to follow the rebellion because of your strength. We saw what you survived from him, and also all of his measures to keep you tied up and humiliated just proved how much of a threat you actually were otherwise he would have treated you more like he does us."

Ichigo was stunned, "I helped?"

"Yes you did, but I guess the cub complicates things a bit," Starrk admitted thinking it over in his head only to raise an eyebrow in surprise as Ichigo practically growled.

"If you think I'm going to give her up, you have another thing coming," He was curling around his stomach and holding Zangetsu tighter in preparation to at least attempt to defend himself.

"No, I actually think keeping her is a better idea," Starrk refuted. "Your strength was enough to get our attention, and it helps you are half Hollow which is something Aizen isn't. To have a child born of both worlds and raised by one who is also in and out of both would make for a very strong addition to our cause. She would be our chance to prove Hollows are not all mindless killing machines, some are I'll admit, but not when you've risen to our level."

"Wait, so you're saying you could use her?" Ichigo really didn't know if that was good or bad, but it kind of sounded like his daughter would have more protection that way so he was at least willing to listen to the explanation behind it.

Starrk nodded, "Yes, but it will be awhile before that happens, in the meantime it is you who has the influence we need. If we want to rebel against Aizen I know we need to combine strength with the Shinigami in some way. You bridge the gap. If you speak for us, we may have a chance."

Hearing what was basically his own plan coming from the Espada without prompting just confirmed for Ichigo that he was on the right track, "I was actually going to ask you about that myself," And he quickly explained his plan to contact Grimmjow.

"That would have worked," Starrk assured. "That's one of the better ideas I've heard recently anyway."

"If I do this, what are you expecting?" He asked seriously. "I need to be able to make a firm argument, and it has to be soon, if the head captain finds out about the baby he could throw me in the Maggot's Nest or take her from me, possibly both knowing how stubborn he is on that particular issue."

"I would be willing to submit to whatever power restraints they use on the Captain class, I know they have them. I will not come if they attempt to separate us from our Fraccion in any way, I'd rather they didn't separate any of us, but if they allowed us to stay together I would allow someone to chaperone us in off hours, preferably someone like you who has a basic idea of what we are really like." Starrk had been thinking it over for a while now trying to figure out just how much compromising both sides would be able to handle.

"I think I can argue that." Ichigo responded slowly weighing the pros and cons. "Will the others agree to those terms too?"

"They will if I tell them to," Starrk confessed, "Our ranks are not just numbers, I don't use it much, but if I give an order they are supposed to obey me just as much as if it were Aizen asking."

"How many do you think will want to come with you?" That was important, too many and there was no way Yamamoto would agree.

"Me, Lilynette, Nnoitra, Tesla, Grimmjow, and Szayel. There are two more Espada and four fraccion helping but they will stay in Las Noches to pass information. We have already discussed what would happen if we ever chose to abandon Aizen on our own, I don't see this being any different." Starrk explained, before tensing a moment eyes glazing over a bit in his effort to concentrate on something just on the edge of his range, "I have to go, we have a job to do. Oh, and I never answered your question from earlier; no I can't tell how old she is. Without knowing how powerful she is going to be I have no benchmark to place her age. She is strong though, I'm sorry, I can't rule out her being old enough to have been sired by Grimmjow."

Ichigo winced but nodded, "I expected as much, now go, make sure whoever is causing trouble doesn't get to anyone living." It was bad enough he was essentially serving up the plus souls on a platter, he didn't want deaths on his hands.

"I don't let humans die if I can help it, that is why Aizen sent me here," Starrk explained before disappearing in a rush of Sonido, Lilynette tucked carefully into his arms.

When he was out of sight and Ichigo realized he was alone he practically collapsed back on the grass of the park he'd found Lilynette and Findor fighting in. His hand strayed to his stomach as the enormity of the situation has a chance to slowly sink in.

"Well King, this is a mess." Junichi spoke up a bit ruefully, and Ichigo let himself fade into his inner world so he could actually see the Hollow he was conversing with.

There was no denying it so, "Definitely, but now what do we do?"

"You know exactly what we need to do, tell Shunsui." Junichi knew hiding it would probably only make things more dangerous for the baby.

"I..I'm not sure I can," Ichigo had gone deathly white at the thought

"Well, we have to." Junichi pressed, his hand slowly moving to mirror Ichigo's on his own white clothed abdomen, "We got ourselves into this mess now we have to deal with it."

"What does that mean? You almost sound like you're pregnant too," Ichigo stared at the hand and listened to the oddly phrased statement and put the pieces together.

This time he could watch Junichi face-palm instead of just guessing that's what he was doing, "That's because I am. We've been over this, we share a soul so what happens to one of us happens to the other and right now we have a baby in our belly,"

"…And you're okay with that?" He asked incredulously.

A reluctant sigh, "Can't say I'm thrilled, but I don't hate it either. Now King when are you going to stop stalling? He's going to find out sooner or later, like when he sees you with a cantaloupe for a stomach."

"I know, I know. But I can't get myself settled down enough to do it. I'm terrified okay. I never thought I would have to do anything like this." Ichigo protested.

"I know King, but we still have to do it." Junichi had his own misgivings about all this, most of it having to do with the fact Hollows weren't exactly the nurturing type, but that was precisely what he would need to do to get both his King and now the child through this.

"…Junichi, what if the baby isn't Shunsui or Jyuushiro's?" There were many things Ichigo could panic about in this situation, but that was at the top of the list. Starrk knew in an instant that he was pregnant, but couldn't tell him anything more, and that terrified him.

The Hollow couldn't help but sigh at his King's understandable but unhelpful worries. "I don't know King, but we can't hide her forever, the only way we can find out for sure is to tell him and find out the truth from there."

"I just, I don't think I can do this." Ichigo murmured. "I want the baby, no matter who her father is, but I can't tell Shunsui. Not until I know one way or another, but there isn't a way to know for sure. This is all one big mess."

"Yes it is, but you already said it. You want her, we both know that, so we have to take care of her." Junichi was beginning to suspect he would have to intervene in some way, but he was still holding out some hope his King would come around.

Ichigo took a deep breath, but it didn't help calm him down at all, "I know we need to, but I just can't. If we get rejected now I don't know how we are going to make it through this."

"We will make it through no matter what. I didn't kick your ass into gear before you broke under Aizen just to let you crumble over having a baby you obviously want." Junichi made his choice after hearing the sheer terror in his King's voice. "Let me do it. I can talk to him but only if you let me. I can't force it anymore like I did when we fought Byakuya."

"I can't but I know we should, so yes I give you permission to take control and talk to Shunsui," Ichigo didn't even need to think about it when such a good solution fell into his lap.

"Then all you need to do is let Zangetsu take care of you, and I will deal with Shunsui," The sword was definitely better at comforting others than Junichi was, he would keep Ichigo from panicking too much while Junichi faced their fears head on.

It didn't take long to find his love, and it looked like Shunsui was already worried, and he proved it too when he pulled Ichigo in for a near bone-crushing hug, "You scared me. All we knew was you found an Espada then you didn't come back, I thought you'd been taken again."

"We weren't taken, but you aren't talking to King right now," Junichi was already in control, and to say it was odd to receive a full body hug for the first time he could remember was an understatement.

"Junichi? What's going on?" Shunsui loosened his hold enough to get a good look at him, prompted both by Junichi's words and the odd echoing tone to his voice, and realized his eyes had turned completely gold set into a black background. Yes, definitely not talking to Ichigo right now.

"King is currently having a panic attack while Zangetsu is trying to calm him down, that means you are stuck with me for a while," Junichi explained bluntly.

"You are a part of Ichigo, I don't mind having you here, but why is Ichigo so frantic you had to take over for him?" Shunsui and Jyuushiro had both known what shared Ichigo's soul and had come to terms with it long ago. Junichi played a large part in who Ichigo was today. They respected that connection and in turn respected and accepted Junichi as part of their lives.

Now even Junichi was a touch reluctant, but he has always been more reckless than his King, so he jumped in head first, "Because someone managed to get us pregnant."

Shunsui was stunned silent. Shock radiating out from him, before he managed to force out, "Pregnant!?" The shocked question prompted by the thought he might have misheard the Hollow.

"Do I really need to explain it to you?" Junichi replied, rolling his eyes, "We're pregnant, as in there is a baby right about here." He gestured sharply to his lower abdomen as he spoke.

He was admittedly shocked almost as much as Shunsui had just been when he was once again dragged into a tight hug, this time with Shunsui fully knowing just who he was grabbing onto. "This is wonderful!" He burst out before catching himself, "Wait, is Ichigo so frightened of this because he's afraid we wouldn't want it?"

"That's only a part of it," Junichi responded while managing to wiggle free of the hold on him, he was more reckless but not as tactile as Ichigo. "The thing that's freaking him out the most is we don't know who she belongs to. For all we know she is Grimmjow's."

Shunsui couldn't stop the wide grin across his face despite the real concern they had, "She? We're getting a daughter? I know you are not Ichigo, but I want you to hear everything I would tell him if I could. I want this little girl. If her father is me, Jyuushiro, or Grimmjow it doesn't matter. She is mine because she will be born from the person I love."

Junichi was too shocked to say anything back, he had hoped for his King's sake that would be true, but hadn't truly believed it until now.

Shunsui read his silence as something else, his joy diminishing a bit, there was a question that still needed to be asked, "What about you two? I know you will have the hardest part in having her. I have to ask, do you want her? In the end it has to be your choice." As much as he wanted the child, he knew it was Ichigo's right to say he wasn't ready. He was still very young, no matter that his experiences had aged him mentally. It was understandable he would have a few second thoughts about something this big even if Shunsui felt his heart racing, afraid of the answer.

"King definitely does," Junichi willingly put that fear to rest. "His fear is more that he would be rejected if the baby was Grimmjow's, and with all the spiritual pressure he provided us it is very possible she is his."

"We would never turn the two of you away, never, we love you with everything we have. Children are a treasure and we will adore her even if she ends up with blue hair." Shunsui responded forcibly. He knew that neither Jyuushiro nor himself would hold it against Ichigo should the baby not be theirs. If it weren't for Grimmjow they might not have Ichigo to love as it was, his child would be welcomed into their hearts without regrets. He did notice one thing though in what Junichi told him that was concerning, "What about you? Ichigo wants the baby, but does that mean you do too or do you not want her?" Hollows were volatile he knew that, he liked Junichi and didn't want to think of him as a threat, but in this case he couldn't help his worry.

Junichi grumbled under his breath a moment before replying loud enough for Shunsui to hear him. "Yes I want her. I'm not overjoyed that we won't be able to fight for a while and I'm not really the 'motherly' type, but she is mine and I will make sure she grows strong." He knew what Shunsui was thinking when asking that question it wasn't hard to guess. "Look, Hollows are not like you Shinigami, and I mean besides the obvious, we don't really understand love the way you see it. What we are is possessive, violently territorial, and only truly loyal to our own. I won't hurt her, or King, because they are mine." He put as much emphasis on the word mine as he could, that particular word meant more to Hollows than anyone outside of the race could understand.

"That's all I need to know. Jyuushiro and I will protect the three of you as much as we can, but we can't shield him from a part of himself." Shunsui admitted.

"I figured you'd be worried," That wasn't a hard logic leap, "Just remember I take care of what's mine, not always the way people would like because it usually involves blood and pointy objects, but I won't let anything happen to them if I can prevent it."

"I trust you, I just needed to hear it," Shunsui confessed, "Now, how did you find this out?"

"The Espada we talked to tonight was Starrk but we actually found his Fraccion first, she had been attacked by one of Barragan's so we chased off Findor and started patching up Lilynette. She revealed a little too much to us, and if King and been any less noble we would be down one head. Starrk is the one who told us about the baby when he put his sword away once he knew Lilynette was safe, he thought we already knew. Apparently Pesquisa is different from the Shinigami way of sensing and he could feel her and know she was a girl, but couldn't tell how far along we are." Junichi explained, absentmindedly setting a hand on his abdomen until he realized what he was doing and quickly pulled it away, he would let King indulge in public displays of affection, not him.

"How do you know he isn't going to run straight to Aizen?" Shunsui couldn't help but pull the very disgruntled Hollow into another hug, he was just too worked up to stop himself.

"Because he was the one to bring up approaching the Shinigami first. He is working with Grimmjow and several others to rebel but is fully aware they have a better shot if they work with the Shinigami. According to him there are six Espada and six Fraccion willing to desert Aizen, half of them would like to be in Seireitei the others will stay and pass information to us." Junichi explained once again trying to wriggle free of the hug, but this time it wasn't working. "King is ready to come back, you can turn him into your teddy bear instead of me." He warned before thrusting control back over to Ichigo.

This time when Shunsui hugged him, he was hugged back, "Ichigo I never want you to be afraid of me or Jyuushiro, we love you, and will love our little girl forever." He reassured.

"But this is still so new, and she might not be yours, then there is Yamamoto," His worries would have continued had Shunsui not leaned down and kissed him to gently quiet him.

"Ichigo we do not say I love you lightly, we mean it wholeheartedly. I don't care if it's only been two months, it could be two decades, or two centuries and we couldn't love you more. Now you are giving us a daughter to love, why would we ever turn you away?" He spoke between feather-light kisses along his cheek jaw and neck.

Ichigo melted at his touch and his words, especially when a large strong hand came to rest on his stomach, and he put his own over Shunsui's, "I love you too." He replied simply, but it was enough, because he meant every word as deeply as Shunsui and Jyuushiro did towards him.

"Jyuu is going to be so happy," Shunsui spoke a few minutes later, "Telling him is going to be fun." He leaned further down to kiss Ichigo's stomach, "Hello baby girl, I just want you to know you are loved and we will take care of you like the treasure you are." He rose back up only to be pulled into a kiss by Ichigo.

There were dark days ahead, he couldn't fool himself into thinking their wouldn't be, but for now he basked in the happy glow of the moment and was excited about doing it all over again when they finally were reunited with the missing part of their hearts.


	19. Meant to Live

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some difficult decisions ahead

The happy moment lasted for an hour or two until reality barged in on them. "Shunsui, what are we going to do?" Ichigo asked, voice scared, "How are we going to keep her safe?"

"We protect her, and that means getting as many people as we can ready to defend you and her. If we pull it off right we can probably hide her for a few months, four or five at the most would be my guess. After that we will need to come up with a better plan but at least we will have some time to think about it." Shunsui had the exact same fears as Ichigo, but he was ready to face down any danger to make sure his family came through the war healthy and whole.

"So you're saying we should tell more people?" Ichigo was wary of doing that. To him the more people that knew about her the bigger the risk of somebody finding out that would try to hurt their daughter.

Shunsui pulled Ichigo tighter against him reassuringly, "Ichigo, people are going to find out about her sooner or later, we need to tell the people we trust now so she can be defended. The baby is going to be okay, I won't tell anyone that would have any reason what so ever to give you away."

"Alright, I'll listen to you," He reluctantly agreed, "But if we do that there is one person I need to tell myself but you have to promise me you'll give me some time to do it, telling him is going to be really difficult."

"I think I can guess. You want to tell Isshin," Shunsui realized.

Ichigo nodded seriously, "If we are going to tell others about her then he should know he is getting a granddaughter but, like I said, it's going to be hard. I don't know how he is going to react to her when I'm still trying to get a grip on it myself."

"I understand," Shunsui assured, "But I am going to warn you. Isshin is far more perceptive than he looks. He acts carefree and giddy but he does it so people will warm up to him and he can figure out what's wrong easier. It works very well. If you wait too long trying to tell him he will notice her without you having to say anything. It's your choice if you want to let him know directly or wait until he finds out about her on his own. You know him Ichigo, go with your instincts."

"I will try to tell him," Ichigo decided, "But if I can't do it at least dad will know eventually."

"That means it's my turn to listen to you." Shunsui approved of that approach, it seemed the most reasonable. "Now, we need to decide who to tell and when. You get to pick and I'll stop you if I think there is a problem, but if there ends up being someone I truly believe we need to tell that you don't say I will ask your permission and explain why."

"The Visoreds." Ichigo said instantly, "They know what it is like to be persecuted, they won't let anyone from Seireitei touch her."

"Good choice," Somehow Shunsui had known they would be at the top of the list. "I agree they are safe. My Lisa was one of us and she isn't shy about it." Lisa had stopped hiding it after escaping Soul Society and she had discussed it with Shunsui while trying to get caught up with what had happened to each other in the last century.

"I'm not sure about Kisuke and Yoruichi, I don't think they'd turn on me, but I don't think telling them before saying anything to dad would be a good idea. They might try to do it for me." He was debating heavily over that one.

"I have a suggestion, tell Yoruichi but wait for Kisuke until Isshin knows." Shunsui advised. "She will understand that you need some time and will keep quiet until you're ready. It will just be safer if there is at least one person in every group of people you are normally around that knows about the baby."

"That means I should probably tell one of my friends, though for that I think I'll just tell all three of them. We have trusted each other too long for me to worry about them knowing." Chad, Orihime, and Uryu would not reveal him.

"Okay. This is another case where you know them better than I do, but I met your friend Chad and I liked him. He seemed like the kind of person that would take care of you no matter what." Those three had followed Ichigo into danger time and again, he doubted anything could make them turn on him after that. Orihime even owed him her freedom.

"I want to tell Hanataro and Rikichi, but no one else, there are already too many." Ichigo pressed.

"I think that is a good amount, we can stop there." Shunsui allowed.

"Should we get some of it out of the way now?" This was going to be hard, and if they were going to start telling people Ichigo wanted it over as painlessly as possible.

"Might as well," Shunsui agreed, "Do you want to start with the Visoreds? I think they will end up being the easiest to tell."

"We have to start somewhere." Ichigo agreed, letting Shunsui take the lead heading back to the Visoreds' hangout.

Of course talking about it and actually doing it were much different. All of them were awake, with being in hiding they moved around mostly at night and slept during the day.

"What happened out there tonight?" Shinji asked immediately, "It was my turn to follow you. I know you signaled that you didn't need help but you were gone for so long I thought something had gone wrong."

"Not wrong," Ichigo started slowly, he'd rather tell the easy parts first and then move on. "I did manage to talk to the Espada here. We're lucky, it's Starrk and Lilynette, the only thing that can really get him worked up is if something threatens Lilynette. I found her badly injured and he discovered me healing her, after he realized I was only trying to help her he calmed down and listened to me. He agrees that some Espada would be willing to fight against Aizen, and he actually brought it up himself. There are far more in on the plan than I thought, but four Espada and two Fraccion would come to Soul Society if Yamamoto agrees to work with them."

"Sounds almost too good to be true," Kensei noted, such a good opportunity falling into their laps was suspicious in his opinion.

Ichigo couldn't meet any of their eyes, "Well there is one issue with the whole thing, Starrk noticed something."

"What?" Shinji was worried, he'd never seen Ichigo acting like he was.

Ichigo set his hand against his stomach as Shunsui gripped his shoulder in support, "I'm going to have a baby, it's a little girl." He eventually told them, his voice so quiet they had to struggle to hear him.

As one all the Visoreds blanched but before Ichigo realized it he had a blonde haired ex-Captain hugging the life out of him, "Oh Ichigo, don't be afraid of us, I promise everything's going to be alright."

Ichigo found himself choking up, tears coming to his eyes, fear doubt and hope clashing together made it impossible to hold it all in anymore. "I'm not afraid, I'm terrified, I don't want to lose her." He confessed, feeling Shunsui hugging him from the opposite side as Shinji, surrounding him in comfort just as the two of them had done for Jyuushiro not that long ago.

"You won't." Shunsui promised, "We will do everything we can to get the two of you through. No one will hurt her, I won't let them."

An important question needed to be asked but Kensei was very gentle as he spoke, "Ichigo, is your baby Grimmjow's?" He had eventually told the Visoreds who broke him out and how.

Another hard confession as he burrowed his face into Shinji's shoulders and his love realized Ichigo couldn't do it himself, "We don't know, but she might be." Shunsui informed, there was no need to hide it, not from them.

Ichigo turned his head enough to speak, still very quiet, "Starrk could only sense that there was a baby and that she was a girl, he couldn't tell how old she is."

Hachi spoke up, an oddity since he usually kept to the background, "I might be able to." He offered softly. He specialized in both the creation and breaking of spiritual barriers, if anyone could wend their way through Ichigo's power to find out anything more definite about the baby it would be him.

"Please, try," Desperation was coloring Ichigo's voice making it louder.

The gentle Visored came over to him, Shinji yielding his spot to him, and settled his softly glowing palm onto his lower abdomen trying to target the small spark of life growing inside. It took a minute to sift through the obscuring cloud of Ichigo's power to find hers and he smiled. "I can feel her, she's strong, and about two months old."

"You're sure it isn't longer?" Shunsui asked, Ichigo nodding along with him.

"Maybe, but not more than a week in either direction. She's not Grimmjow's." He assured, he wasn't judging by strength alone like Starrk was able to, he felt the maturity of the power too. Like many people with strong Kido skills he had spent time trying to learn healing and for him it worked well; he was a very competent healer and before they left Seireitei people were not afraid to come to him if they couldn't get to the fourth. This was not the first baby he had checked on, it had just been a while since the last one.

That had Shunsui turning Ichigo around in his arms, hugging him tightly and kissing his forehead. "She's really ours." He said enthusiastically, referring to either Jyuushiro or himself, to him it didn't matter. "I would love her no matter if she was Grimmjow's, believe me on that, but this is our baby." His hand strayed to Ichigo's stomach, absolutely thrilled.

Ichigo pulled him into a very much needed kiss. He wanted the familiar feel of Shunsui to chase away his insecurities at least for a little while.

No matter how curious they were the Visoreds turned away from the pair in respect for their privacy. Well that answered one question anyway. When they broke apart Shinji came back over to them and draped an arm over each of their shoulders, "Congratulations, we suspected you two were together but you didn't say anything so we didn't bring it up."

"Not just us," Again, no point in hiding from them. "Jyuushiro is just as likely to be her father as I am, but to me it might as well be the same thing."

"I had wondered about that," Shinji admitted, "Didn't think anything would pull the two of you apart."

"Ichigo has only pulled us closer," Shunsui affirmed.

"So Ichigo, this means you will not be patrolling," Kensei insisted. "We can take care of it so you just concentrate on that baby."

He shook his head, "I can't stop completely or people will ask why, but this time I will let someone go with me without staying back. Since I know it is Starrk here if I need to talk to him he will understand me bringing someone else."

"Okay, question, how are you going to find him if you do need to talk? His shields have to be extremely strong to hide all of his power." Love asked this one, finally shaking off the surprise Ichigo's confession had thrown them into.

"Find the Arrancar trouble makers and wait for him there. If we can contain the Hollow but not kill it he will know we are trying to find him." Ichigo suggested, it had been a thought that hit him too, but thinking about the baby had taken up most of his focus.

"You will not be fighting!" At least three people called out at the same time, but Love was the one to keep talking. "I understand you need to be seen, but that doesn't mean we are going to let you fight any Hollows. Let whoever is with you handle it, or bring more people if you know that you need to contact him, but don't put yourself at risk."

"I wasn't going to!" Ichigo defended himself, "I guess I didn't say it right, don't worry, I won't do anything that could put her in danger, not any more than she already is."

"I believe you," Shunsui backed him up, before addressing the others, "You all know Ichigo, do you really think he would pull something like that when all he ever does is protect people?"

"Forgive us, but we worry about him, he is in the most danger even if the little one wasn't coming." Shinji admitted. "Aizen has proven Ichigo is a target of his, and he doesn't know about the baby and won't if we have anything to do with it."

"I'll be careful," Ichigo promised, before switching the topic away from plans for now, he wanted things to be normal again for a little bit without worrying about the threats hanging over his head. Stress was not good for his baby, he knew that much.

The next person to be told was Yoruichi, Shunsui drawing her away from the shop so they could talk to her alone. There was both happiness and fear on her face as she promised to keep his secret and do what she could to head off Kisuke until Ichigo could tell his dad.

By then Ichigo was so tired he couldn't see straight, so Shunsui made him go home and get some sleep. They would deal with more when he had taken care of himself.

Ichigo didn't go to bed right away, the rest of the house was asleep, now was as good a chance as he was going to get to tell Hanataro and Rikichi, so he went to their door and knocked softly hoping they were still awake. Since patrols were mostly at night the vast majority of them had acquired very strange sleeping habits.

To his luck they were either very light sleepers or they had already been up because their door opened quickly, Rikichi inviting him in. "What's going on?" It was so late, or early depending on how you looked at it, that Ichigo showing up was cause for concern.

"I'm in trouble," Ichigo told them seriously, settling into the chair by the desk too tired to hold his own weight up for much longer. "Remember what we were talking to Byakuya about at the hot spring?"

That was all Hanataro needed to hear, "You're pregnant aren't you?"

Ichigo nodded, "Yes, found out earlier tonight. The baby's a girl and is definitely either Jyuushiro's or Shunsui's. I was so scared at first, I thought she might be Grimmjow's. If he was her father she would be in so much more danger."

"Have you told anyone else?" Rikichi asked in concern, both of them could see how exhausted Ichigo was, he had endured a very long night.

"Shunsui of course, the Visoreds, and Yoruichi. I wanted to tell you while dad was asleep, I don't think I can tell him yet." Ichigo confessed. "There is an Espada and his Fraccion that knows, he was the one to tell me about the baby in the first place."

"Which one?" Hanataro asked curiously.

"Starrk, which was lucky, he is working with Grimmjow and others to rebel. He won't tell Aizen about my daughter." Ichigo responded.

"I take it you have a plan for hiding her?" Hanataro realized, there was no way so many powerful people knew and they hadn't managed to come up with something.

"Yes. We are going to make it look like I am patrolling but I won't do any of the actual fighting. She is strong, but still young, we can hide her for a few more months." He explained.

"We will do all we can to help," Rikichi assured, Hanataro nodded along with him, "Now you look like you're about to fall over, go get some sleep, your baby needs it."

XXXXX

Ichigo was stalling again, he had yet to tell his friends, and every time he thought he might be able to say something to his dad he chickened out. Shunsui was patiently supportive in that time, knowing Ichigo would come around and do what was right, but so much had been thrown at him it was understandable he was holding back a bit. He needed to collect himself.

His stress was starting to take effect. The little annoyances Ichigo had written off as worry over what would happen with Aizen got worse, and even he began to realize it was from the baby. He did what he could to get calmed down, but it wasn't enough. Now that he saw the symptoms for what they were he couldn't ignore them anymore, and they kept getting worse as his daughter got bigger.

It didn't take Isshin long to notice something was wrong with his son, in truth he probably caught onto the problems before Ichigo realized it himself. Ichigo was not acting like himself, and it didn't look like any manifestation of stress he had seen from him in the past. Even with the war drawing closer, that wasn't what was plaguing Ichigo, he was completely positive on that.

For one, his eating habits had radically changed in the past couple of weeks. There was times that he would eat like a starving wolf, and others that he barely touched three bites of his meal. He even had trouble putting much interest in Yuzu's curry when she made it a few days before. This turnaround had Yuzu worked up thinking she had been messing up the dish, one she had been making since she was tall enough to use the stove.

Isshin tasted no difference in the food. Whatever this new trait was stemming from, it had nothing to do with the quality of the meal.

Another thing that had caught Isshin's eye was the increased trouble with dizziness Ichigo was experiencing. Now it was almost guaranteed he would be fighting back vertigo when rising from the couch even a modicum too fast, Isshin had even caught him in the middle of a spell while supporting himself with the wall just outside his room. It appeared to Isshin like he had been trying to reach his room to avoid showing the weakness to his family, but hadn't managed to get there.

This was adding up to a moderately frightening conclusion, which came to a head the morning Ichigo had come downstairs for breakfast, took one whiff of the coffee Isshin had just brewed, before making a beeline for the bathroom.

Now all he had to do was figure out a way to approach him about it. He was soon granted the opportunity when Ichigo once again had trouble stomaching his dinner, asking to be excused early. It was the chance he had been waiting for.

XxxxX

Ichigo was laying on his bed, trying to recover from the nausea that made him unable to eat. It wasn't the first time, some of the moments had even been rather spectacular. The worst was when he couldn't fight it back and had to sprint to the bathroom just when everyone was gathering for breakfast; his family had to have noticed that. He reached down to rest his hand on his stomach, stroking over his daughter slowly; reminding himself all this hiding and sickness was worth it.

He quickly removed his hand and tried to pull himself together in a semblance of normalcy when someone knocked on his door, his father's voice following to ask permission to enter.

Okay that was weird, Isshin barely ever knocked, and those occasions were typically preceded by his being injured or sick in some way. Not good, really not good.

Calling out to invite his father in, he was a tad surprised to see the plate and mug in Isshin's hands. "Ichigo, you didn't eat nearly enough tonight, I brought you something that shouldn't be too hard on your stomach since you were sick this morning." Isshin explained; holding out the food and drink for Ichigo to take.

It turned out to be peppermint tea and fresh cut apple slices next to a few pieces of cinnamon covered toast. His stomach growled at the sight, plus the smell of the cinnamon, and he was soon devouring everything on the plate interspersed with sips of the warm tea.

Isshin waited until Ichigo was done with the food before speaking, Ichigo too intent on the meal to even realize he had still been in the room, making him jump at the sudden words. "You're a lot like your mother," Isshin observed, immediately gaining Ichigo's full attention at the words.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

Isshin smiled softly in remembrance, "That was Misaki's favorite meal when she was pregnant with you, it's fitting your baby would like it too."

Ichigo flew upright, hand going reflexively to his abdomen before he could stop it from giving himself away, "How did you know?" He asked quietly, finding his comforter suddenly very interesting as he refused to meet his father's eyes. That had been the only reply he could muster, knowing his reaction had proven Isshin's words.

"Ichigo I am your father, did you really think I wouldn't notice you are carrying my grandbaby under your heart?" Isshin responded with no small amount of amusement. "Lift your head Ichigo, I want to ask you a few questions, but don't you ever be afraid of me." He didn't like the almost ashamed posture Ichigo was in. His love for his children would always triumph over any anger he might feel, and truthfully he wasn't as mad as a small portion of his brain believed he should be. He was worried yes, but not angry.

"Granddaughter," Ichigo corrected softly. "The baby's a girl."

Isshin's smile widened a bit hearing that, "Now that's something your mother would love, she told me a couple times that she wanted a granddaughter to spoil at some point, though a grandson would be just as spoiled knowing her."

For the first time since his father had entered the room, Ichigo managed a small smile, "I'm glad I would have made her happy; even if this is a little unconventional."

"You are a lot younger than I would like," Isshin admitted, "But it happened and she is going to be here soon, so let's make the best of it?" He offered.

"Thank you," Ichigo's voice was filled with so much relief Isshin was almost upset; had Ichigo really been that afraid of him?

"Now, I mentioned I have some questions, all I want is for you to be honest with me," Isshin explained.

A quiet sigh escaped Ichigo, "Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Who is her father?" The question was definitely not unexpected.

He knew his dad told him not to be afraid, but he just couldn't answer while looking at him so he switched his gaze to his window, "I don't know."

"You had to have trusted and loved him for the baby to be here, what happened Ichigo?" Isshin didn't know what to think, so he wanted to wait for the explanation before he passed judgment.

"You might not like this," Ichigo warned, seeing his dad tense.

"Just tell me," Isshin urged, "I want to know the two of you are safe."

"I love two people, and they both love me back," He answered with the truth. "Either one could be her father."

"Which two?" He still wasn't quite sure about all this. He was terrified for his son and soon to come granddaughter, they didn't need anything that could make it harder on them.

Ichigo smiled wanly as he thought of his loves, "Jyuushiro and Shunsui." Isshin had to know those names, he had been in the soul society himself and they were the longest running Captain's after Yamamoto and Retsu.

Relief washed over Isshin, strongly, he felt much better about it now. "They will take good care of you and her, but how did that come about?"

"When I first got back from Heuco Mundo I was a mess, Retsu healed me physically, but those two pulled me back together mentally. We grew closer as they helped me, and eventually, we realized we loved each other and it was worth giving it a chance to grow." Ichigo explained.

"Do they know about her?" Isshin inquired with concern, just how much had Ichigo hidden her away?

"Shunsui does, but we haven't been able to tell Jyuushiro just in case we are overheard that is going to have to happen in person." Ichigo answered, "Shunsui was going to help me tell you, but I asked him to let me do it. It was too hard though; I tried a couple times."

"Alright, now about her, do you know how far along you are?" Isshin decided to change the subject, getting all he needed about that for now.

"About two and a half months," He had his hand over his baby again, "Found out two weeks ago."

"How did you figure it out?" He was very curious about that, it could take a while for a male Shinigami to notice a baby, even knowing it was possible it was still not the first thing to come to mind when they weren't feeling good.

"One of the rebelling Espada told me," He admitted, and his father froze in place, "I was healing his Fraccion when he found me, it didn't take him a full minute to notice the baby. It was the Primera, Starrk, and he likes children too much to tell Aizen about mine. Apparently an Arrancar can sense when someone is pregnant much sooner but they can't tell as much as a Shinigami. I learned she was a girl from him, but had to get one of the Visoreds to help me figure out how far I was. She might have been Grimmjow's. I don't love him, but I do trust him especially when he defied Aizen to break me out, it might have been enough for the baby to be his."

"You would love her anyway right?" It had to be asked, even though Isshin already knew the answer.

"Of course," Ichigo insisted, "I'm really glad she isn't his because that would be so much harder on her, but if he had been she wouldn't be any less loved. I owe Grimmjow a lot, if it weren't for him she wouldn't be here even though she isn't his daughter, he got me away from Aizen. I would have taken care of his baby just for that. After all she's mine too."

He was surprised when Isshin pulled him into a hug, not the full on tackle he usually did, but one meant to comfort, "I'm so proud of you. This is going to be hard, you're young and I know you never thought this could happen, but you're strong. You will keep your daughter safe and happy."

Ichigo melted into his hug, relaxing for the first time in weeks, "You're really not mad?"

"No." Isshin assured. "I probably should be, but I'm more afraid for you than angry. I was in the Seireitei for a long time. I knew this was possible, but you didn't. There isn't a way to prevent it if you don't have control over your power and that has never been your strong suit. I do not blame you for needing comfort and seeking love once you were free." Isshin didn't realize his son was crying until moisture seeped through his shirt where Ichigo had his face pressed against him. He just held onto him and rubbed his back soothingly, he wasn't surprised about the break down. Something this big was too hard to handle without needing help. He whispered lowly to him, the words not really mattering, he was just proving he was there for him.

It took a while but slowly Ichigo came back around and pulled away from his dad, his eyes were red and sore and his head ached, but he felt lighter than he had since finding out about the baby. "I love her so much already, I just want her to be okay." He admitted, hand on his stomach again, he never took it away for long if he knew he was safe.

His father's hand settled next to his own, "She will be. I can't wait to meet her."

"There's so much that could go wrong," The thoughts were always plaguing him, everything that might take his little girl away from him.

"I won't let anyone lay a hand on your baby," Isshin promised, adding his protection to those already looking out for Ichigo and his daughter.

"She will have a lot of people looking after her, but, I just can't stop thinking about it," Ichigo admitted, rubbing gentle circles into the skin over his baby.

"It's okay to worry, I'd be more concerned if you weren't, but I meant it. Nothing is going to hurt this baby. I failed to save your mother, and then couldn't keep you safe, I refuse to let that happen to my granddaughter. I will fight for her, more than I ever had, trust me." Isshin insisted, pulling his son into another hug. He had failed his family too many times already, the little girl growing in Ichigo would not suffer the same fate. He would protect her to his last breath.


	20. My Kind of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A request is made, which might just change some plans for the better.

Thanks to the conversation with his dad Ichigo was finally calming down and getting some of his confidence back. He had needed that reassurance badly. He was back to feeling a bit like himself again, but was even more motivated to get things worked out than he was before. They now had a limited time frame to get everything set up if they were going to pull this off. He had a general consensus from the healers in the group that he would most likely be able to hide at least until his fourth month, maybe a little longer if they were lucky.

He wasn't the only one to think that way, but it took an interesting and unusual event for that to become apparent. Ichigo was out in the charade of patrolling with his father and Kensei at the time when they had a visitor so well hidden the only give away was the shimmer of movement caused by rapid Sonido drawing to a close. Both of his protectors had Zanpakuto drawn and shoved Ichigo behind them before they had a chance to recognize the two Arrancar in front of them, but once Ichigo got a look at them he called out to the others, "It's okay, that's Starrk and Lilynette." He informed, followed by Kensei and Isshin lowering their blades but not putting them away just yet.

"I need to talk to Ichigo," Starrk requested, calm but firm, all business. "It's important." The Primera insisted while carefully keeping Lilynette behind him in the face of the two Zanpakuto held by the people protecting Ichigo. Their power levels matched or surpassed many of the Espada by the feel of them.

"What do you need?" Ichigo asked, coming to stand level with the two other males, putting his hand on his father's arm in a bid to keep him calmed down.

He looked a little reluctant to speak in front of the other two, but he quickly realized asking to have a minute alone was not going to work so he decided to trust in Ichigo's judgment. "I need someone to look after Lilynette until tomorrow night. I have to go back and make another report, but after what happened last time I refuse to leave her alone." He explained, pulling her into his side protectively so they could see her but couldn't get to her without going through him first.

"This report, nothing about Ichigo will be in it?" Isshin asked suspiciously, measuring up the powerful Arrancar in front of them, one who was doing everything he could to keep the child next to him safe.

"I swear I will not reveal anything." He promised, looking Isshin in the eyes, proving his sincerity. "I want to remove Aizen from our world. He is playing with fire without knowing what he is doing. If we do not stop him all three worlds will crumble out of balance. Our best chance of success is to work together, but at the same time most of the people willing to rebel will also have trouble taking orders from someone who is not a Hollow. That is why I will protect Ichigo and his cub, your son is one of us, he can command the others and they will listen. I would not trust Lilynette to his protection if I had intentions of hurting his child, he could hurt her in retaliation. Take it as a show of faith." It had not been hard for Starrk to make the connection between Ichigo and Isshin, their power overlapped and contained traces of each other projecting the relation.

Kensei spoke up, "We have a place where she will be safe and out of sight from any Shinigami who might attempt to turn her in or hurt her, but it is with the rest of the Visoreds. There are eight of us, plus Ichigo, do you still want us to keep her for you?"

He took a moment to consider it, "Would I be able to see this place before I left her there?"

Kensei shared a questioning look with Ichigo, gaining a nod of encouragement. "As long as Ichigo vouches for you, then yes."

"We can't leave her by herself again, let him come." Ichigo advised. He trusted Starrk, he could have already turned him in, but he hadn't, and he was being honest when speaking with Isshin.

"Alright," Kensei allowed, "Follow us."

With Starrk and Lilynette shielding so well, no one was worked up at their return until catching sight of the crisp white uniforms and broken masks. "I take it you are the Espada Ichigo has been telling us about?" Shinji approached first with the others following in a mix of caution and curiosity.

"Yes, I am Coyote Starrk, and this is my Fraccion Lilynette Gingerbuck." He introduced.

"I'm Shinji Hirako, why are you here?" He asked. Shinji usually took the lead when dealing with people, it was part of his nature.

"I needed a favor and I was told you may be able to help us." Starrk answered honestly while Lilynette took a step away from him, checking out their surroundings. She hadn't expected the subterranean training ground she found herself in when she had first entered the broken down warehouse.

"What do you want us to do?" Shinji asked, watching with curiosity as Lilynette took a few more steps away from the Espada and caught sight of Hiyori. The two of them looked like they were about the same age and were sizing each other up.

"The last time I went back to Heuco Mundo I had to leave Lilynette behind, Aizen wanted one of us here at all times. While I was gone she was attacked and I had no way of knowing about it until Ichigo chased Findor back to Las Noches with his tail between his legs. I will not take the risk of leaving her alone again, Barragan is targeting her and he is not one of those that will give up even if Aizen ordered it, he is only loyal to himself." Starrk explained. "Would you be willing to shelter her until tomorrow night?"

That had Rose asking, "Why do you think she would be safe here? I'm not saying she won't be but that seems like a lot to gamble on when you obviously care about her."

"I trust Ichigo, and he trusts you." Starrk admitted. "I witnessed what he was able to survive and overcome, no one else could have done it; no one. Aizen did everything in his power to make him break and it didn't work. There is more to Ichigo than spiritual strength, and it is that side of him that makes me believe Lilynette will be alright where he feels she will be safe."

"You fought him while he was there didn't you?" Isshin realized, still leery of the extremely powerful Espada.

"Yes, but if I hadn't then it could have been even worse for him, though I doubt that seems possible." Starrk began to inform. "I knew how far he could be pushed that would both satisfy Aizen and keep him in the best shape possible. I helped find the way to break him out, but it was Szayel and Grimmjow who pulled it off."

"Do you have time to talk more about who is working with you?" Shinji broke in, realizing if Starrk was asking for this then he was due back in Heuco Mundo soon.

"Not now, but when I come back I will answer any questions you have," He promised.

"We will watch out for her," Shinji allowed. "Like you we trust Ichigo. We will want those answers though. Keep Ichigo safe and we will do the same for your Lilynette."

There was nothing but relief in Starrk's voice when he responded, "Thank you." He turned to Lilynette who was whispering excitedly to Hiyori in a worrying kind of way, considering the havoc both of them could get into on their own. "Stay with them and listen if they tell you to do something, that means it's probably for your own good. If I hear that you gave them a rough time it won't end well for you." He cautioned his hyperactive other half.

"Oh Coyote, relax, I know as much as you do about what's going on. I'm not going to screw it up, but I'm still going to have fun. Go and deal with the idiot then get back here." She ordered, turning away in what was supposed to be a firm dismissal, but considering she looked like a ten year old it did not have quite the effect she intended because at least half the Visoreds in attendance were laughing at her.

He rubbed at his temples, "Just try not to level the place." He reminded, before looking at Ichigo and Shinji, "I'll be back tomorrow."

"I'm sure we can handle her," Ichigo had a smile on his face as he waved Starrk away. He had to admit, it was kind of nice to see Hiyori laughing and giggling along with whatever the Arrancar was trying to drag her into.

"Alright, while Starrk isn't out on the streets we should double patrols until he gets back." Kensei decided, looking at the two plotting girls and just shook his head.

Isshin immediately interrupted, "That's fine but Ichigo stays right here until that Espada gets back. I don't want him out around Arrancar that aren't on anyone's leash."

"I was going to stay with Lilynette anyway," Ichigo assured his father.

"Love and I will go, we can tell Kisuke what's going on and probably get Shunsui back here if you want Ichigo?" Rose offered.

"Tonight is up to him, but he should definitely be here tomorrow when Starrk gets back." Ichigo advised.

"Mashiro and I will go out too," Kensei decided, the tiny female Visored already ready to go with him. "Anyone else want to patrol tonight?"

"As long as Ichigo is here safe I should go back home and check on the girls, I'll keep an eye out for trouble though," Isshin laid out.

"Sounds good," Shinji approved, "Take care of yourselves out there."

"Uh, Rose, I have to ask; could you get Kisuke to let my friends know what is happening with Starrk? I want them to be involved with the planning. If things are happening in this world they deserve to know and should be here tomorrow." Ichigo requested.

"That shouldn't be a problem." The blonde Visored agreed before the five of them left to their tasks.

In less than a second after the so called responsible ones left, Hiyori and Lilynette had drawn Zanpakuto and raced across the training ground to a nice open spot ready to see what the other could do.

Ichigo found a boulder to lean against while watching the girls, the three remaining Visoreds settled down near him, Lisa with her magazine, Hachi watching the impulsive spar with an eye towards making sure it didn't go too far; this left Shinji to talk to Ichigo. "I never thought I would see such a young Hollow, much less an Arrancar." He observed.

"If you think Lilynette looks young, you should meet Nel, she looks like she is maybe two or three." Ichigo responded with a small smile, "I should probably warn you in case you didn't know, but Arrancar do not age, they are frozen in place as soon as they break their masks. Lilynette is much older than she looks even if she doesn't see the point in acting like it most of the time.

"How old can she be? Aizen made her didn't he?" Shinji asked curiously, looking over the seemingly young girl closely.

Ichigo was forced to admit, "I don't actually know how old she is, but you're wrong about something. Starrk is the only Arrancar in the Espada that Aizen did not make himself, and Lilynette was with him when Aizen discovered them."

Shinji was stumped at something, "How could you possibly know that?"

"Because Aizen told me." Ichigo confessed. "He was just as proud of the fact he could lure an already formed Arrancar into his ranks as he was of being able to create them. He thought it was a symbol of his strength, but it was more Starrk liked what he offered but as Aizen started exerting more control even he couldn't stand it anymore."

"What did Aizen promise Starrk?" Shinji didn't know what could have possibly captured the attention of someone as powerful as Starrk had to be to hold the position of Primera.

"That's a question for Lilynette. I can guess but I'm not sure," Ichigo didn't think it would hurt to ask the girl some questions, even if she wouldn't answer it was still worth a shot.

There were more questions Shinji could ask but since the vast majority would be better suited to asking either Arrancar he kept quiet and just watched the spar in progress. By then Lilynette had managed to cajole Hiyori into showing her mask, and was barely managing to hold up under the strain.

Lisa who had been trying to hide her interest glanced over the top of her magazine, "Why doesn't she use her resurrection?"

"I've never seen her use it, so that I don't know." Ichigo informed as the tired and panting girls slowly drug themselves back to the little group.

Lilynette had heard enough of the conversation to answer the question for herself, "I didn't use a resurrection today for the same reason I didn't when Findor attacked; I don't have one." If Starrk and Ichigo trusted this group of people she would follow suit. They would hopefully be working together soon so it made sense they get used to each other.

"What do you mean you don't have one!?" Shinji was openly shocked, "I thought an Arrancar used a Zanpakuto to seal their true selves, how can you have one without the other?"

"You might not believe me if I told you," She warned, almost teasingly.

"Go ahead Lilynette, I kind of want to know too," Ichigo encouraged her.

"Fine then, Coyote and I are different than the others. We are not separate beings, we are two halves of the same Arrancar; instead of sealing his power into a sword Coyote put it in me. I'm not really his fraccion, I'm actually his Zanpakuto." She was amused at the gobsmacked expressions on their faces. "Why do you think Barragan wants to kill me so badly? Coyote would be hamstrung if he lost me, both in power, and because before Aizen found us all we had was each other for decades."

"I already asked Ichigo, but he didn't know and I'm curious, just how old are you and Starrk?" Shinji couldn't hold the question back anymore.

"It's hard to tell time in Heuco Mundo but I'd say it's been at least a century since Coyote and I split apart, and probably more." Lilynette tried to answer, "Coyote is the oldest Espada; we were able to figure out that much. Barragan was old when he became a Hollow which is why Coyote looks so much younger."

"What made the two of you join Aizen in the first place?" A good question that did need an answer.

"Coyote and I are powerful, too powerful, when Hollows discovered us they would attempt to stay but would eventually smother under the weight. Aizen promised us a place around people strong enough to handle our strength without dying until we built our shields up enough we won't hurt anyone." She explained. "All of the Espada embody an aspect of death and Solitude is ours."

Shinji's eyes narrowed, "So why turn on him?"

"Because we aren't selfish. We know what Aizen intends to do and if he is allowed to go through with his plans it will mean the destruction of everything we know. It is better to be alone than to not exist at all, but now we have control enough to be safe around others or we wouldn't have gotten sent here." Lilynette more or less patiently answered the expected question. "And no I won't get into that now. If you want to know more about Aizen, ask Coyote, he can answer better."

Another familiar presence made itself known in the ensuing silence, "Shunsui!" Ichigo called out happily as they were quickly joined by the elder Shinigami who was looking at Lilynette with curiosity.

"So this is Lilynette, when Rose told me she was here I didn't know what to expect." He admitted while settling down with them and pulling Ichigo against him.

"Who are you?" Her voice was a bit testy, she didn't like being talked about like she wasn't in the room.

"Shunsui Kyouraku, I'm the Captain of the Eighth squad back in the Seireitei." He answered, trying not to smile at the prickly youngster. He probably shouldn't provoke her no matter how much fun that might be, at least, not without a little more cause.

Lilynette looked sharply between him and Ichigo, taking into account the close contact, "Are you his mate?" She asked abruptly, the terminology giving him a bit of a pause before his good humor took over again.

"If you want to call it that, then yes." Shunsui replied truthfully.

"Well you two are having a young one together, as long as she's not Grimmjow's. Sounds like a mate to me." Lilynette pointed out.

"Lilynette, while everyone here knows about her there are a few around us that do not, please don't say anything about the baby so openly," Ichigo requested. "And we know now that she is not Grimmjow's, she is too young to be his."

"I won't." She promised, "Like I told Coyote I know what's going on. I'm not going to let her get hurt, I'm the same as Coyote I like young ones. I just figured if you trusted them with me, you would trust them with your own. I kinda think Grimmjow is going to be a little disappointed that she isn't his though."

That surprised Ichigo, "Really?"

"Of course. She would have been proof you let him help you escape the way he did, and that's something he is actually pretty proud of," Lilynette explained. "Plus any young one carried by you has to be strong, he would be interested in her just because of that."

Shunsui pulled Ichigo closer and had his own question for Lilynette, "So having a child born like this isn't a problem for Hollows?"

"What do you mean like this?" It was her turn to be confused.

"Ichigo is a man, in the Seireitei that is a big problem," Shunsui responded.

Still confused, "Why would it be? Hollows aren't male or female when we reach above Gillian level, we are a mixed up mess of souls. We don't mate often, even less than you Shinigami, but we can pair up with whoever we want."

That made something click in Ichigo's mind, "So Hollows can have children too?"

"Yes, but like I said, you have to be at least Adjuchas and even then it usually doesn't happen." She confirmed.

"Shunsui maybe that is why she is here so quickly, I can have children from both sides." Ichigo theorized. "Junichi is a form of Menos, but we don't know which kind, though we're guessing Adjuchas from the way we look as a Hollow." While recovering in the Seireitei they had quite a few talks getting to know each other as something other than enemies, and that had come up.

"I guess it's possible," Shunsui responded while thinking it over, "But it must work differently so I doubt we can be sure, especially since we know she is either Jyuushiro's or mine, if she were Grimmjow's I would think Junichi might have more influence over it."

"Wait, you can look like a Hollow? I thought Visoreds only had masks?" Lilynette was confused again.

"In order for us to be a Visored we have to defeat our inner Hollows and gain control," Shinji decided to answer. "In the fight with them we took on their form for a short period of time, when we won the only thing left of that body was our masks."

"Sorry Shinji, but you're a little bit wrong," Ichigo decided to interrupt, "I thought I already told you our Hollows are the other half to our souls? We didn't defeat them in order to control them, instead we were proving they had someone strong enough to be their host. As long as you both agree to work together we can take on Hollow form again, but they are in control when using that body so you have to trust they will give it back when the time comes."

"I've never really talked with mine to be honest, you are the first of us to make contact that wasn't a battle," Shinji defended himself.

A soft interjection made all of them look over in surprise at the largest Visored, "I have."

"When? And why didn't you tell us?" Shinji interrogated.

"Not long after we got here, I didn't think it was that odd until the rest of you started talking about how much you fought with yours. Mine didn't after that first night," Hachi admitted. "I figured it was something that needed to happen between us and our Hollows when we were ready for it, not something able to be forced."

That made Lisa speak up, "You always have been the gentlest, if our Hollows really are our other halves then it makes sense yours wouldn't be as volatile as the rest of ours."

"Hey Ichigo do you think it's safe for you to show us your Hollow form?" Lilynette asked curiously.

"I know you've been listening, do you know if it's safe for her?" Ichigo decided to ask his Hollow.

It took a moment for Junichi to respond as he considered it, "I don't see why it wouldn't be. That is our true body as much as this one is thanks to me, and the girl already said Hollows can have children –something I didn't know by the way- so that shouldn't be a problem either."

Zangetsu's voice chimed in too, "Yes the baby will be fine. Junichi is right you are a Hollow as much as a Shinigami it won't hurt her to take on that form. After all she is part Hollow too."

"Okay, we can try." Ichigo decided before addressing the others. "Both Junichi and Zangetsu think the baby will be okay, so yes I can show you." He slowly pulled himself away from Shunsui and took a few steps forward to make room for the change before giving full control over to Junichi and letting his own consciousness fade into the background, sitting against a sideways building with Zangetsu as silent support next to him. He wasn't just giving up partial control like he had to let Junichi speak for them, this was willingly allowing him to have free reign without any restraints what so ever.

As soon as Junichi had complete control their body began to shift over into his form instead of Ichigo's, with his King morphing along with him on the inside. They were reflections of each other, when chigo was in control they looked like a Shinigami and when Junichi had command they looked like a Hollow.

His form was large and smoothly muscled, the white Hierro a sharp contrast to bright orange hair and dusky red stripes along his body. Junichi was proud of his appearance, he knew he was strong and powerful and didn't have any confidence issues to hold his pride in check like his King did. "What do you think?" He asked in his echoing voice.

The question made Lilynette giggle, "I think your young one likes it, her power just started spiking, feels like she's really excited."

"Are you sure she is excited and not in distress?" Shunsui asked in concern.

"Yes, she's fine, I meant it she feels happy. There is a big difference in how the two things feel no matter how big or small the source of power is." Lilynette assured, still not over her giggling fit, the baby's excitement almost contagious to anyone that could feel it. "I know what distress feels like, when the Hollows around us started dying we could tell, and she doesn't feel like that at all."

Junichi had slid a hand down to his abdomen at the reminder of the baby, and used his own way of sensing now that he had full access to his powers. "Whoa, yeah, the kid's right. She's really jumping around." He could feel even more pride welling up at feeling the happy child. No matter his misgivings about the whole thing this was his baby and he wanted her strong and healthy.

Shunsui didn't bother waiting for Ichigo to be back in control, he really had no problems with Junichi so he wasn't reluctant to go up to him and put an arm around his shoulders avoiding the spikes and placed his hand next to the Hollow's looking for the baby too. He was no healer as Retsu had revealed for him, but he was good at sensing spirit pressure if he knew what he was searching for. It took a moment to sift through Junichi's familiar but still altered power until he found the little flaring spark that didn't match the rest, a huge smile crossed his face. "I can feel her," He informed with excitement as the baby sent a curious wave of power back to him at the gentle feel of his searching. "There you are little one. You just stay happy for us okay? We are all waiting to meet you."

He looked at the Hollow for a moment, considering, until he threw caution to the wind and kissed him. He had no problem proving he was just as comfortable with Junichi as Ichigo. He pulled away to see a shocked Hollow looking back at him, "You know, if she likes this form so much you should use it as often as you want." Shunsui encouraged, just making the surprised expression worse.

Lilynette came to a realization in that moment, "You really don't care that he is half Hollow do you?"

"Not a bit," He assured, "I love him, both sides, if I chose one over the other how could I claim that without lying to myself? It's the same for Jyuushiro." He then turned back to Junichi, "I know you don't do it on purpose but I still want you to know you do not have to hide away. We know you are part of Ichigo and if you want to come out and be with us at times, do it."

That was just too much for Junichi to handle, so he thrust control back over to his King, and Shunsui found himself trying to hold onto a disintegrating body until his love was standing in his arms with just his mask over his face.

Ichigo pulled the mask off and it vaporized all with him grinning widely, "I think you managed to embarrass him." He informed while hearing low mumbled protests from his Hollow. Junichi was much better at handling destruction and mayhem than affection.

"Well it's true!" Shunsui defended himself, holding Ichigo close. "He can come out whenever he wants, I thought he knew that."

"Knowing it and hearing it are two different things," Ichigo reminded. "I don't think he believed you would admit it out loud in front of witnesses."

"What's wrong with that?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing wrong," Ichigo assured, "But remember what he told you the night we found out about the baby? Hollows feel emotion differently, he is better suited to battle than love, he just doesn't know how to deal with it."

Lilynette interrupted, not able to keep quiet anymore, "Hate to break it to you but Hollows can love, or at least some of us. I love Coyote." She informed. "Admitting it is difficult at first though, it's normally thought of as a weakness because it gives us a potential soft spot that can be exploited as Barragan discovered."

"Is that true?" Ichigo asked Junichi curiously.

There was a stubborn silence for a long time until finally, "It can be, but it takes a while and I'm not there yet. It is possible though." He eventually admitted. "I didn't lie to Shunsui that night. I'm still at the point where you being mine is all I can think about for now."

"Do you want to love Jyuushiro and Shunsui, or at least the baby?" This question was a little more serious, but even more than the last time he wasn't sure Junichi would answer.

"…Yes," The confession was slow to come. "It will be easier to love the baby. She is a part of us, I can feel her growing, and I will be able to connect with her more as she gets bigger."

Ichigo couldn't help but request, "Is it okay if I tell Shunsui that? He will want to know."

More grumbles ensued until Junichi made up his mind, "Oh alright, he will probably figure it out eventually any way."

"Thank you," Ichigo knew that couldn't have been easy to allow. "Shunsui, I asked Junichi, and he told me he doesn't love yet, but he wants to, and the baby will be the first one he will be capable of loving."

Shunsui held onto him tightly and kissed him hard before pulling away to touch their foreheads together, "That is more than I can ask for. I can let him know right now that love is worth all the effort in the world. If he is going to fight to understand anything that is the one thing he should definitely work towards."

Ichigo was surprised at the voice coming to him, "King let me come forward again for a minute, like we did so I can talk."

Ichigo obeyed curious what his Hollow was up to and it turned out to be something that made a small happy smile bloom on his face, Junichi had lifted their head and touched his lips to Shunsui's. It didn't last long, and wasn't as deep as others, but it was the first time Junichi had initiated a kiss.

Shunsui knew something had changed when Ichigo's power shifted, but he never expected the quick kiss he got before Junichi retreated once more. "Thank you Junichi for trying," Shunsui whispered in Ichigo's ear knowing the Hollow was listening. "You won't regret it."


	21. All The Beautiful Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All three worlds are about to be rocked, hold on tight.

To give his friends some time to get used to the changes about to happen, Ichigo invited them over to the Visoreds' warehouse in the evening before Starrk could get there. With them were the other Visoreds, Shunsui, Kisuke, Isshin, Hanataro, Rikichi, and of course Lilynette. The other Shinigami were out patrolling in their places, and would be filled in on anything important after the meeting.

He had been putting off this conversation for far too long already as shown from the fact Orihime was still clinging to him and had yet to even begin forgiving herself for landing him in that kind of hell no matter how often he had told her he in no way blamed her for it. Staying in Heuco Mundo had been his choice, and it was one he would make again even knowing what he would endure there.

"Orihime, please, stop beating yourself up. You couldn't have known what they would do to me and you had no control over what I chose. I'm out and free now, there isn't anything for you to be upset about any longer." He soothed, running his hand through her long hair, letting her hold onto him as he had done when Rukia had her breakdown.

"I can't help it, every time I close my eyes I'm back there, and I didn't have to handle half of what you did. Out of us I have the best idea what it is like to be his prisoner, and just once I wanted to be able to rescue myself so you didn't put yourself in danger for me." She protested, clinging tighter, tears running down her cheeks.

He pulled away a bit so he could cradle her face in his hands, "Please trust me, I'm going to repeat myself, it was not your fault. I don't blame you. Everyone needs help, I'm just glad I was strong enough to get to you. I told you I did not get out on my own either, why would I blame you for not being able to do something I couldn't do myself?" He leaned up so he could press a light kiss to her forehead in comfort, fully understanding the kind of reassurance touch could give people.

Uryu came up behind them and put his hands gently on her shoulders, squeezing in a show of support, "He isn't telling you anything we haven't already tried to get you to hear. Ichigo cares too much to leave any of us in that situation if he could do something about it, and he would hate it even more if we turned around and threw that sacrifice back in his face by getting caught trying to save him in return when we knew full well we were not strong enough to manage it without more help than we had access to, we just needed to have faith he would come back to us and here he is."

Slowly, very slowly, Orihime stopped crying and stepped away from Ichigo rubbing the lingering wetness away from reddened eyes.

Uryu spoke again to give her the time she needed to pull herself together. "Why did you want us here tonight? What's that Arrancar doing here?" He had caught sight of Lilynette almost immediately after entering the training ground, but had been more focused on Ichigo comforting Orihime.

"I do have a name," She protested the form of address irritably, "I'm Lilynette."

"Calm down Lilynette, you shouldn't be surprised that they are a little shocked at all this," Ichigo chastised, "And Uryu she is here so we can protect her. She is a Fraccion and her Espada had to go back to Las Noches to make a report. I wasn't going to leave her alone when Starrk chose to trust us with her. He is coming back tonight with the promise he will answer questions about Aizen, I told you something big is starting to happen here and he is our best source of information so far. I wanted you three to hear what he had to say so you can be prepared." He then filled them in on the basics surrounding the growing rebellion among Aizen's top ranking warriors, and their plan to begin working together with them. He ended the explanation with a warning, "Unfortunately we are working with a very limited amount of time to get everything sorted out, and things will have to move quickly."

"Is Aizen really moving that quickly?" He asked a bit wide-eyed.

Ichigo stalled out there, shooting a look at Shunsui non-verbally asking what he should do, "Go ahead Ichigo, you should tell them, you wanted to right from the start." He encouraged, coming up to the quartet to support his love through another revelation.

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" The so far silent Chad asked quietly, but seriously.

"Ah, maybe you guys should sit down," Ichigo suggested, settling himself down on the ground trying to relax as much as he could, Shunsui sitting next to him and the others getting close in obvious support helping him with that.

With a mix of fear and curiosity his friends followed suit. "Okay, what was so big you were afraid we would pass out?" Uryu asked.

"You know a bit about Shinigami don't you Uryu?" Ichigo really hoped he wasn't running into this blind, hopefully if that were the case the others could back him up so he didn't get laughed out of Karakura

"…Yes." He replied suspiciously, "What about them?"

"Do you know what the differences are between someone who was born a Shinigami and someone who is purely human?" Please, please, let Uryu catch on, Ichigo begged in his mind.

"Some of them," He admitted, "You age differently, and when you die your soul does not get passed on, I think there was something else too; ah, what was it? Grandfather said something to me once about them having childr…wait a second! I think I remember, Ichigo, are you trying to tell us you're pregnant?!"

Ichigo could only nod and wait for the fall out, "That's not possible!" The knee jerk reaction from Orihime was more fearful than angry, giving Ichigo some hope.

"Actually it is," Shunsui took over, not wanting Ichigo to get too worked up. "As much as we look human, we aren't. Myself I was born human, but I had high spiritual pressure making me a Shinigami when that life ended. However, as you can see, Ichigo's father is a Shinigami too making it so Ichigo was born with a Shinigami soul, not a human one. He is different from you, always was, and that means he is capable of some things you aren't."

Orihime was looking at Ichigo with wide eyes, "You're really going to have a baby?"

He nodded again, "Yes, and she's a healthy girl."

"Are you happy?" Chad asked, reaching out to grip his hand, they might look worlds apart but he considered Ichigo his brother. Nothing could make him judge or abandon him, not with all the times Ichigo had stuck around to pull him out of the darkness. It was his turn to return the favor.

A smile spread over his face, "Yeah." He responded, moving Chad's hand to settle it over the baby.

Shunsui's arm came around his shoulders, not stopping the connection between the two friends, "Now you see why we have a limited amount of time. If we want any chance of getting the head-captain to agree with the plan it will have to be before he finds out about the baby. He won't listen to anything we try to say after that, and it could be dangerous for both her and Ichigo."

"Can I ask something?" Uryu requested, looking back and forth between Ichigo and Shunsui, seeing the somewhat surprising closeness. Ichigo needing support to tell them made sense, but he figured with both Kisuke and Isshin there it would be one of those two.

Ichigo's smile turned rueful, "I bet I can guess, you want to know if Shunsui is her father?" Now was a time to make a decision. He thought about it and realized two things, one he did not want to deny Jyuushiro, and two his friends were standing by him up till now he figured they might just be able to handle the rest. He caught Shunsui's eye and gave a little nod of permission.

"I might as well be," He claimed immediately. "I love Ichigo, so to me, the baby is mine."

Seeing their confusion Ichigo elaborated, "Shunsui is not the only one that might be her father. He already had a partner, Captain Ukitake, and while I was in the Soul Society recovering I fell in love with both of them. I'm trusting you here. If you don't like it I understand, but please, don't take it out on my daughter. She is going to have enough people against her already."

"What? How?" Orihime was confused and stuttering a little, but still no anger.

"Ichigo, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Uryu asked a bit more coherently, observing Shunsui and Ichigo sharply and not seeing anything that sent up a red flag that something was wrong between them.

"Yes I know what I'm doing. I love them. It might have been a little fast, but I couldn't help it. I tried to fight it at first but in the end I couldn't give them up, and now we're going to have a daughter together." He insisted, his own seriousness coming back. "Orihime, sometimes things happen that you don't plan and have little control over, love is one of those things. I know this isn't what anyone would call normal, but it is true all the same. Aizen tried to control the way I thought and acted, I managed to endure that without giving in though it was close at the end. I didn't want to give up something so good that I wanted with all my heart, just because some people don't approve of it. I really want to get your support, I need all of my family to get through this, but again I understand if it is simply too much to take."

"You have me," Chad promised without hesitation.

Uryu took a deep breath, "If I didn't stick around when you need us this much I would be worse than Ryuuken, so yes I'll stand by you."

Orihime moved closer to him, Chad had taken his hand away a while ago, so she was free to lay her much smaller one over Ichigo's daughter. "I don't really know what to think, but I'm not going anywhere. This little girl is too precious to ignore."

"Thank you," The only ones who had ever seen such a blinding smile on Ichigo's face were Shunsui and Isshin.

With the serious tension out of the way it gave the others room to come over and get to know the humans in their midst a little better. Their loyalty towards each other was truly admirable and earned them a lot of respects, and the ones that had witnessed their efforts during the mission to save Rukia were only getting their memories rekindled.

Shunsui was proud of their progress, and was glad to see they had improved so much. He was interested in knowing all he could about Ichigo and these were the closest people to him. He made it a goal to understand and include them in future plans. Just because he wanted to build a life together with Ichigo and Jyuushiro did not mean he was going to try erasing the past in the Living World.

Soon Lilynette was perking up and looking towards the entrance, "Coyote is on his way back." She informed. "Should be here in a few minutes."

"You can tell?" Rikichi asked curiously.

"Of course, I always know where he is if we are in the same realm. The only reason he didn't know I was being attacked was because I was here and he was in Heuco Mundo." She explained.

Lilynette was proven right when Hachi was soon lowering the barrier to let the Espada inside, his steel blue eyes surveying the crowd appraisingly.

"How much rubble did you leave?" He finally interrogated his fraccion once he had assured himself she was safe and whole.

She scoffed, "Not as much as I could have."

"Lilynette," He ground out in warning, "Just what did you do this time?"

She crossed her arms in front of herself looking affronted, "It was only a few spars, relax Coyote, could have been a lot worse."

He turned to look at Shinji, the one he had pegged as the negotiator of the bunch. "Thank you for protecting her, I know she can be a bit… well excitable would be a good way of saying it."

Shinji couldn't help but laugh and point out Hiyori and Mashiro, "We have our fair share of hyperactive people, don't worry these two occupied her. Rubble is pretty common around here if you can't tell." His words were immediately proven true as he ducked the flying sandal thrown in his direction thanks to decades of practice evading Hiyori's assaults. "See what I mean?"

"Yes, I see," Now Starrk felt a little better leaving the living tsunami alone with them. He was here for another reason too though, "I know you have been waiting for those answers I promised you. Start asking whatever questions you want." He came over and sprawled next to Lilynette, hey power did not mean decorum, he was not one for ceremony when he felt safe enough to relax a bit. He could still react in less than a second if he had to though, and just about all the gathered people realized that.

"I guess the first question that needs asking is who is all working with you, and which ones would be willing to come to Soul Society if we do get an agreement worked out?" Shunsui was going to head the questions dealing with that kind of thing, it would be Ichigo and him taking the matter up with the Head-Captain.

"I'm guessing some of these will surprise you," He warned before answering, "There are six Espada, six fraccion, and one Shinigami willing to rebel. The Espada are myself, Tier Harribel, Nnoitra Jiruga, Grimmjow, Szayelapporro Granz, and the last is one I know you especially Ichigo will have trouble believing, Ulquiorra Cifer."

"That can't be true, he has to be spying for Aizen," Ichigo immediately refuted as all color drained from Orihime's face on hearing her bodyguard's name again.

"The answer to why he changed is sitting beside you," Starrk informed, singling out the pale girl. "He was introduced to a loyalty that was not based on fear and intimidation. Ichigo when people follow you, or you them, it is because they want to not because they are forced.

"Aizen exerts control over his army with an iron grip, I'll admit not unusual for a man trying to provoke a war, but when dealing with Hollows the more force you use the more we want to fight back. We are not very good at following orders in the first place. Aizen was unsurprisingly intelligent when seeking us out, he promised us enough that we came to him willingly and did what he asked because what he was offering was worth it.

"He forgot himself though. He started asking for too much and giving too little, making those with hot tempers want out the fastest, but as we grew to understand what he was intending us to do the calmer ones like myself and Harribel got involved. Ulquiorra did not decide to follow our path until he saw for himself what it was like to fight for something more than yourself. That girl's loyalty got him thinking and your strength in holding up under Aizen's mind games was enough to convince him if he dared to rebel there was an actual chance of winning." The Espada explained, not lifting his gaze off Orihime despite his words mostly addressing Ichigo.

"Are you absolutely sure he won't turn back to Aizen?" Shunsui pressed.

To his credit, Starrk took a moment to think about it before responding, "Yes. I have spoken to him myself about it and I believe him. I know when someone is trying to lie to me, plus most of them wouldn't dare to try. He is one I might consider him attempting, but he wouldn't succeed."

"You really have that much influence?" Uryu asked cautiously, Ichigo was staying calm and he had the most to be worried about, so he was willing to take a chance on the Espada remaining docile.

In answer Starrk yanked off one of his gloves and held up his hand, showing the gothic numeral one branded into his Hierro. "These are not just numbers. They are literal ranks. I know Shinigami have thirteen squads, but the Captains of each are on the same level, and that is not the case with us. It is a true hierarchy of power. I am the strongest, point blank, the only ones with more command then me are the Shinigami despite the fact I know I am stronger than Tousen, most likely Ichimaru, and potentially Aizen though I'm not quite sure how to get around his illusions. That is one good reason Nnoitra and Grimmjow want out, if we are going to take orders it is from someone of higher power –the top predator in any territory wins- but the way Aizen has us set up they are forced to bow down to someone of a lower rank than those of their own kind."

"How come you haven't tried killing Aizen yourself? I know you are strong, and you just said you are potentially tougher than him, why wait for backup when you don't need it?" Shinji knew he was poking a bear, but it was something he believed needed to be asked and if it came from him he had a chance of drawing Starrk away from the others before he did anything drastic.

To everyone's relief Starrk remained calm, pulling his glove back on as he responded, "Luckily for you I expected that question. The answer is simple. When it comes to an ability like Aizen's that fools the senses so thoroughly even if his opponent is stronger they have to break through that to win. I already said I'm not sure how to do that once you have already seen his release; and all the Espada have. If I fought him alone and lost then you would be done one of your strongest allies, but if I do exactly what I am I can lend you my strength and actually get somewhere with it."

"You seem far more active than I remember," Ichigo commented in a bid to diffuse some of the rising tension, and fortunately it seemed to be working.

"Oh I'm active, but only when I need to be," He explained. "I don't see the point most of the time. I might have the highest command in the Espada but all orders are still coming through Aizen so I'm not called in to fill in the role much. I'm also not like the others in that I don't like casual sparring. I spent too long killing things unintentionally to get any joy from hurting them purposefully."

"To get back on track, which of those Espada are going to want to come to Soul Society, and will you have the same kind of control over them there as you do in Las Noches?" Shunsui attempted to steer the conversation back to the main topic, they really were under a time constraint.

"I'll have control, but Ichigo will have more," Starrk revealed. "Remember what I said about Hollows not taking orders well? Ichigo doesn't order, he encourages and is usually the first to charge in when the situation calls for fighting, he doesn't expect people to fight his battles for him the way Aizen is starting to make it sound like. There is another reason for their compliance with him but I'm not sure if Ichigo wants to hear it." He confessed, essentially giving the choice to Ichigo whether or not he tell them.

Ichigo didn't hesitate, "Just tell us, we need to know as much as we can even if it hurts."

"Fine. They will follow you because we know exactly what you are capable of. We trained you while you were there. Aizen ordered it yes, but we worked with you as much as we could without revealing what we were up to. If you fought us off that well with your power hampered, we can only guess how strong you are with full access to it. If we get to the Soul Society together I intend to keep training you once it is safe." He phrased the last part carefully not sure how many people Ichigo had told. "Grimmjow did not have time to tell you, and I bet you never asked, but did you ever wonder just how much power it took to break that much seki-seki stone?"

"I know it took both mine and Grimmjow's," That was as far as Ichigo had let himself think on it.

"Let me put it in perspective, when we were searching for the way to break you out, Szayel used me to test his method. Anyone higher than Nnoitra has to be far away from Las Noches to train or our release can shatter parts of the fortress, so this gave us an opportunity to experiment without interference. He put a ring of it around my wrist and sent me out with Lilynette and Harribel to see what it would take to break it." Starrk paused then to give his listeners a chance to catch up before continuing. "The best I could do was crack it, even fully released. The amount used on you was about twice as thick. I know exactly how strong Grimmjow is, I saw it almost every day when he would spar with Nnoitra, he helped you yes; but the vast majority of that escape came down to you."

"If you couldn't break it, does that mean what you tried was a gamble?" Isshin was getting angry again, every instinct screaming at him to protect his son.

Starrk was quick to shake his head, he had no intentions of starting a fight that might give them away, "Arrancar are very good at sensing power, especially when we have something to compare it to. There is a reason your son is such a large target for Aizen. If he could get Ichigo on his side willingly he would have access to a warrior even stronger than I am. Ichigo being young and relatively untrained is actually an asset to him, Aizen would be able to shape him into whatever kind of fighter suited his ideals more."

Lilynette got frustrated at their stubbornness and spelled it out plainly, "We knew if Coyote could crack the stone, Ichigo could break it if he had help focusing his strength; which is what Grimmjow did."

"Hollows are drawn to power, and those who command it, Ichigo has that." Starrk finished. "Although I can keep control until Ichigo is ready to handle it."

Everyone here knew now, so it was okay to ask, "What are they going to do when they find out about the baby? You knew immediately and it's been awhile since then, they are bound to notice her." Ichigo could think on the information about his power later, he had something more important to be concerned about for the time being.

"Would you be surprised if I said they would protect her?" There was an almost wolfish smirk crossing Starrk's face.

Shunsui drew Ichigo closer to himself, "Why would they do that?"

"It all comes down to power, never ever forget that when dealing with Hollows, and especially Arrancar we can think far clearer than the other type and it makes us more dangerous. In our world the strong prey on the weak so the race as a whole gets stronger." Starrk warned, pressing the point because it was important. "Ichigo shelters a powerful Hollow while carrying an equally powerful child, we won't allow harm to come to one of our own with that much potential. We are a race of warriors yes, and we fight our way to the top, but Ichigo has already done that even if he didn't know that is what was happening. I also told you before Ichigo that your daughter is our best chance at gaining peace once Aizen is eliminated. She is both Hollow and Shinigami, while being innocent of any crime committed by either one."

"Does anyone else find it aggravating that the 'bad guys' are the ones willing to protect an innocent when we have to hide her from the so called good guys?" Rikichi spoke up, his irritation obvious making Hanataro link his hand with his own to calm him down.

"The strong win; that is our basic tenant. Shinigami overcomplicate things in our general opinion, though I admit to liking certain approaches of yours better." Starrk confessed. "Now I haven't answered your other question. The ones who want to leave with me are of course Lilynette, Nnoitra, his fraccion Tesra, Grimmjow, and Szayel. Harribel is going to volunteer to take over my task in the living world, with Ulquiorra passing her information she can then relay to whoever you chose to be the contact here. The fraccion staying to help gather information and hold places so we don't have too many new people to try and fight our way through are Harribel's three fraccions; Apache, Mila Rose, and Sun-Sun; and one of Barragan's fraccion, Ggio."

"Those guys are fanatics, what changed his mind?" Ichigo still got angry if he let himself think of Findor's attack, so he thought he was keeping it together pretty well if he only asked that in minor irritation.

"Grimmjow is his idol." Starrk informed, "He just can't show it much or Barragan would kill him. If he gets the chance Ggio will follow Grimmjow around like a kitten."

Hanataro couldn't stop himself from laughing, "Riki that sounds just like you around Renji," He teased earning an elbow to the side and a pout, though his smile never wavered.

Shunsui just shook his head at the pair and got back to business, "Okay, Ichigo has told us the terms you gave him before, has anything changed?"

"No, same rules. We will submit to a power limiter only if it is the same kind as the Captains wear, there will be no protests if we need to be escorted for the first little while as long as we can stay together; and under no circumstances can Nnoitra or I be separated from our Fraccions." He laid out as a reminder.

"Just wanted to make sure, because I want to contact the Seireitei as soon as possible to set up a meeting, if we do get one arranged would you want one of yours to come with us?" Shunsui offered.

He thought about it a moment, "I don't really want to admit this, but the only one we might be able to sneak away without getting caught is Lilynette. I couldn't go myself, Aizen would know the moment I stepped out of the Living World. Lilynette's power is a shadow of my own, while she can't cover for me, I can for her."

"She doesn't have to come," Ichigo assured, "But it would probably help, it is up to you two."

Before Starrk could say a word, Lilynette was already speaking, "Let me go Coyote. I can do this."

"But Lilynette," He went to protest only to be cut off.

"No, Coyote listen to me, you and I both know they have a better chance of making a deal if one of us goes and shows that we are being serious about this. I won't be alone, no one is going to let the Shinigami hurt me. We are already risking so much in defying Aizen, what's one more thing?" She pressed, showing a hint of her actual age.

He sighed, "I don't like this at all, but I wouldn't have mentioned it if I was going to refuse outright." He confessed. "Who else would be going with her?"

"Definitely Ichigo and I," Shunsui immediately answered, "And I'd like at least one Visored plus a Shinigami or two."

"Don't think you're going anywhere without me," Isshin broke in, "I made Ichigo a promise and I intend to keep it."

"Dad what about Karin and Yuzu?" Ichigo reminded.

"I didn't forget them," Isshin assured, "I've been setting up a place where they will be safe while we're gone."

That surprised Ichigo a bit, "Who?"

A slight glance at Uryu, "An old acquaintance that owes me a favor. He will protect your sisters."

The young Quincy glanced up through a curtain of loose bangs, "You're talking about Ryuuken aren't you?"

"Yes. He has done wrong by you, I know." Isshin admitted. "But he did help you when you truly needed him no matter how rough he was, and he wouldn't let anything happen to my girls."

A slow nod, "Yeah, I know, but I'll check on them myself as often as I can." He decided.

"I would appreciate it," Isshin laid his hand on his shoulder, he didn't like seeing him like that. When this was over he needed to sit down and have a good long talk with Ryuuken, or better yet just wait until Yuzu got ahold of him; that would probably do the trick.

While that little exchange occurred Starrk had been thinking over his decision and when things fell quiet again he told Lilynette, "Alright, you can go, but if they touch one hair on your head I'll kill them and no one will stop me." He did not get violent often, but harming his Lilynette was a good way of getting him there. Findor had still been recovering when he went back to make this report, the only reason he was still breathing was Starrk didn't want to deal with the hassle that would result from killing another Espadas' fraccion. That was Barragan's game not his.

"We'll protect her," Not Ichigo, Shunsui. "To be honest I don't want Ichigo in this any more than you want Lilynette, but stopping them is going to be nearly impossible so the best any of us can do is make sure nothing happens to them."

"I'm counting on it," Starrk insisted. "Come on Lilynette we need to get back to work, when you are ready for her send have a Visored come outside the barrier and call their mask for a short burst. I will be sensing for that kind of power signature and will bring her to you."

Ichigo nodded, "That will work, and that's something I can do so I feel at least a little useful."

Starrk and Lilynette were turning to leave when Shinji realized in all the sidetracks they had missed something, "Wait a second, in the beginning you said there was a Shinigami working with you, which one?"

"Oh that," Starrk showed another wolfish smirk, "Gin Ichimaru."

Every single voice in attendance called out at once, "What!?"


	22. Refugee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to put their faith in Starrk to the test.

Turns out Starrk didn't know much more about why Gin would turn on Aizen than they did, but it was true all the same. Gin had a very large part in getting Ichigo out of Las Noches alive. Szayel had drugged the Shinigami with Gin knowingly allowing himself to be included, but he was given a lesser amount letting him wakeup first and it was his interference that kept everything off the monitors so Aizen couldn't go back and see what happened.

Starrk did end up describing what Aizen was trying to do, and that just made the others more fervent in getting to the soul society quickly so they could start spreading the word.

The arrangements were swiftly made to travel to soul society. Seeing Jyuushiro again even if it was just over the monitor made both Ichigo and Shunsui's hearts soar. They hadn't been able to talk much, or they would risk being discovered, but they might get their chance during the trip if they timed everything right.

It was decided that Shunsui, Isshin, Kensei, and of course Ichigo would be heading over for the meeting. They just had to collect Lilynette, which didn't take long though they did get another very serious warning to keep her safe or there would be hell to pay.

When they got to soul society Ichigo kept Lilynette pressed protectively against him while the others positioned themselves around them covering both of them from all sides. By the time they reached the meeting hall only the Fifth squad had no one to stand for them, but presumably they would be voiced by one of the others, probably Toushiro.

Yamamoto did not waste time, "Captain Kyouraku, explain this situation at once." He ordered.

"In our patrols of the living world our group has discovered a few people we believe could be very important potential allies. I advise you not to dismiss us out of hand." Shunsui responded calmly in his usual somewhat lazy tone, but he was all serious beneath that and anyone who knew him could read that loud and clear.

"And just who is in this group? I see you have brought two half-breeds with you," Scorn was evident in Yamamoto's tone as he looked over Kensei and Lilynette.

Anticipating the move Ichigo reached out to grab Lilynette by the back of her shirt as she tried to lunge away from him and towards the Head-captain in anger, "Calm down Lilynette, we warned you this could happen." He spoke to her lowly, which was true, this was not something they had not been prepared for.

Kensei jumped in to cover up the exchange between Visored and Arrancar. "We want to stop Aizen as much as you do, but none of us can do it alone, myself and the seven others you attempted to execute a hundred years ago are willing to come fight with you if that is what it takes to bring him down." He was very careful to say with and not for, their orders would come through Ichigo just like the Arrancar, but he didn't think that needed to be stated explicitly.

"You are risking a lot returning like this, for what reason have you made such a bold move?" Yamamoto asked shrewdly.

Shunsui answered in Kensei's place, "We have information straight from Aizen's forces about what he is planning for the living world. It concerns all of us, human, Shinigami, and Hollow. He can't be allowed to finish what he started."

"And you trust this information?" That was the implication anyway.

"Absolutely," Shunsui insisted, "There is no doubt in my mind. The Espada who informed us of it has entrusted us with his Fraccion so you would be more inclined to believe us." He explained while gesturing to Lilynette.

"You have got to be kidding!" Izuru couldn't help it, he had taken the Captain's spot for the Third squad and had intended to stay out of the way, but that wasn't happening. "She's just a child."

This time when Lilynette reacted, Ichigo didn't stop her since she didn't try to move away from him. "I'm not a child! Arrancar do not age, plus how can you say that when that Captain over there isn't any bigger than me!" She pointed sharply at Toushiro, he had caught her attention as soon as she had gotten a good look at him.

"She's telling the truth Izuru, Lilynette is at least a century old." Ichigo added on, "And she really is a Fraccion."

"Which Espada is your master?" Yamamoto probed directly, making the volatile girl bristle again.

"He is not my master!" She practically growled. "Coyote would never treat me like a servant, we're partners."

"Coyote? As in Coyote Starrk; the Primera?" Jyuushiro recognized.

"Yes," Lilynette admitted, looking at him curiously. She picked up caution instead of contempt from him, it was a nice change from the head-captain's blatant disgust. "Guess you weren't expecting that one huh?"

"No, not really," He agreed, smiling gently at her, "If he is the one who sent you, then does that mean he is one of those intending to ally with us?"

Ichigo picked up there, "Of course he is, or he would have never trusted us with her. Starrk is very protective of Lilynette." There was a warning there for anyone who thought to listen. "Starrk is the one who told us what Aizen's plans were, and it was on his suggestion that we are attempting to make a deal between us." They did have the same idea, but Starrk managed to bring it up first so he got the official credit for the plan.

"So what is the bastard planning?" Kenpachi demanded, that was enough fooling around.

Shunsui answered, "He is trying to make a King's key, and to give him a better chance of getting to the soul king without interference he is going to unleash utter chaos. The moment it is created he will open a gateway to the Living World from Heuco Mundo. The reason for the increased activity in the human world is he is getting a feel for where he should make the key compared to where he should make the gate according to who has the most spirit pressure to draw the rampaging Hollows to them. In other words, whatever doesn't get obliterated in making the King's Key will get caught up in a massacre that we will be so busy trying to suppress that he can walk right into the King's dimension."

"Why would any Hollow object to that?" Komamura inquired logically.

"Because it would work." Lilynette responded bluntly. "Aizen manages to do that and he will destroy everything, not just one world, but all of them. He's not going to the Soul Kingdom to shake hands, he wants to take over, and you have never seen how he rules but I have. Trust me, he expects obedience in exchange for his accommodations, but Hollows of any kind are not good at groveling. He has already killed at least three former Espada, proving how readily he is willing to sacrifice warriors, and those were just the ones who've died since he recruited Coyote and I. We will fight against him if it means we get to keep breathing when the war is over."

"So this is self-serving?" The disdain in Yamamoto's voice was thick and heavy.

"Yes, but can you really afford to turn us down?" There was no point in lying. "If you ally with us you not only get warriors but also informants, plus a researcher. Over half of Aizen's top fighters are in on it."

"She's got a point," Soi Fon realized. "I'm guessing there are some conditions on this, right?"

With that Lilynette laid out the compromises they would be willing to make, watching as acceptance slowly grew among the officers, the last to truly object unsurprisingly was Yamamoto. "I do not want all of you in the same place." He immediately objected. "If we agree to give this farce a try you will each be assigned to different squads."

"Not all," Shunsui reminded. "The one point Starrk was adamant on was that the Fraccion stay with their Espada. Lilynette should remain with him, and Tesla with Nnoitra"

Kensei interjected there as well, "Mashiro stays with me." He insisted.

Yamamoto inspected the line of Captains with a sharp measuring gaze. "If even one hybrid is refused by a Squad leader, none of them will be allowed to stay. Make your choice now of which will join your squads; you have already been informed of your options. Captain Soi Fon, you will begin the selection."

"Squad Two will take in Hachigen Ushoda," She claimed without hesitation.

Izuru spoke next, a bit slower, but no less sure of himself. "Rojuro Otoribashi." He was the former Captain of the Third, he would fit well and help take some of the pressure off Izuru's own shoulders.

Retsu looked at Lilynette, "I would like to invite you and Coyote Starrk to join Squad Four."

She glanced at Ichigo, gaining a discrete nod, and the little Arrancar answered Retsu, "Alright, we will go to your squad."

Following that a familiar voice spoke for the Fifth. "I would suggest you allow Shinji Hiroko to regain his old position." Shunsui encouraged.

Yamamoto immediately refuted, "No. That squad has neither Captain nor Lieutenant to stand guard, I will not allow a hybrid to run around unchecked."

"I will stay with him." Ichigo interrupted. "I'm a substitute right? Then let me fill in the empty spot. I will stay with Shinji at the Fifth until we can convince you none of those I am bringing will harm a single soul here without just cause."

"Why would I allow such a thing when you are obviously an ally of his?" Yamamoto challenged, but in doing so he gave Ichigo a chance to defend his point.

"Because who would have a better reason to make sure he behaves than the one who vouched for him in the first place? I have as much, or more, to lose as he does if something goes wrong." Ichigo pointed out calmly.

Toushiro involved himself there, "I agree with Substitute Kurosaki, Head-Captain. He would have the best reason to keep all of them in line; friend or not."

Komamura, Soi Fon, Jyuushiro, and Byakuya all nodded with the assessment, making up Yamamoto's mind for him. "Very well, but you will suffer the same fate as your charge should harm come to anyone as a result of his actions."

"I understand, nothing will happen." Ichigo promised while concealing the huge sigh of relief threatening to break out. He had managed to secure a place with someone who knew about his baby, and in such a way that it looked like he was covering for Shinji and not the other way around.

"Captain Kuchiki, continue with the assignments," Yamamoto ordered getting things back on track.

Byakuya obeyed, having used the time spent debating to think hard about his choice. "Hiyori Sarugaki will have a place with Squad Six." His was a full squad with both Captain and Lieutenant in Soul Society, he would take on a Lieutenant level Visored to spread the strength out between more squads.

Komamura had his answer ready, and made his choice without prompting, "Love Aikawa is welcome with us." Like Izuru he was keeping the origins of each person in mind as he chose.

Shunsui also did not hesitate, "I will be taking my Lisa back." No one was surprised.

"Rather than taking in anyone I would like take Captain Kyouraku's spot in the Living World, and use my Squad for information exchange." Toushiro decided. "I went last time and I am ready to do it again."

Yamamoto again objected, "I assigned Captain Kyouraku for a reason; he will complete his task."

"With all due respect I believe the situation has changed enough to leave room for regrouping," Retsu jumped in unexpectedly. "We have more information as to the activities in the Living World, and with the changes I truly believe Captain Hitsugaya is fully capable of heading the mission."

It was hard to argue with that reasoning, so Yamamoto didn't, he trusted Retsu's judgment just as much as his own. "I will allow the change. Lieutenant Hisagi, your turn was skipped, make your selection now."

"Kensei Muguruma and Mashiro Kuna," Once again the decision was made without a shred of hesitation, "I know it is asking a lot to have two Visoreds in a squad with no captain, but I truly want them to rejoin the Ninth." He knew exactly what Yamamoto's opinion would be.

"I will stay with them." Every single person started in surprise as they realized who had spoken. "I was once a Captain myself and have a completely clean record, I left with permission. Allow me to stand by my son through this war." Isshin argued. He was keeping his promise to Ichigo and his granddaughter even if it killed him.

"You wish to return as well Isshin Kurosaki?" There was a note of shock even in Yamamoto's voice. On his exit he had agreed to a power seal and had every intention of staying in the Living World, especially after building his family.

"I will stay long enough to protect Ichigo, when this war with Aizen ends I will go back home to my children once more." Isshin explained. "This will not be permanent."

"You I trust." Yamamoto admitted. "You have a place here until the end of the war." With that he observed the last three captains without any expression. "The three of you must make a decision."

"Give me the strongest, I don't care which one as long as they're tough." Kenpachi insisted, itching for a good fight.

"The strongest other than Starrk is Nnoitra, and he will have his Fraccion too." Ichigo informed.

Kenpachi nodded, "Then I will take them on."

"The researcher will come to the Twelfth," Kurotsuchi chose unsurprisingly.

Ichigo once again filled in a name, "You are talking about Szayelaporro Granz." He couldn't stop the shudder at the thought of those two in the same room, but it was better than throwing an innocent into the squad just to become one of Mayuri's experiments.

The wicked grin that came over the masked Captain at seeing the instinctive response in Ichigo was chilling. He was too pleased with that arrangement.

All eyes landed on Jyuushiro as he was the last in line; everyone knew who the last choice was. Grimmjow was arguably the most violent of the Espada, and paired with a squad of pacifists would be like putting a lion in with lambs. Yamamoto was actually hoping that it would come down to that, if Jyuushiro turned Grimmjow down then the all or none clause he had given would take effect.

Too bad Jyuushiro was stronger than he appeared as he stood tall under the scrutiny. "Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez has a place with us. My Squad can handle him. I have faith in my members, and in Ichigo, he knows the Espada well enough to know which are worth allying with."

"Is this arrangement everyone's final decision?" Yamamoto requested confirmation, and received an overwhelming response of consent. "Then the motion to include Hollow hybrids into our war plans has been approved. The defectors must arrive within a week's time if they wish to gain their places here." He decreed.

"Lilynette, is that enough time?" Ichigo asked quietly, wanting to know if they would have to fight for more when he wasn't sure Yamamoto would give up any more ground than he already had.

She nodded, "We have been ready to flee ever since we helped you escape, just in case Aizen managed to figure out what we had done."

"Good." That was a huge relief, and it made him brave enough to step forward and ask Yamamoto a question. "Would we be allowed to stay and inform the Squads more about the people they chose?"

"No, wait for that until they get here." Yamamoto decided, disappointing but not surprising Ichigo. There was no way they could sneak away long enough to talk to Jyuushiro; their reunion would have to be postponed.

It did not take long to return home after that, Starrk waiting anxiously with the other Visoreds, total relief washing over him at seeing Lilynette back with him safe and whole.

"So what's the verdict?" Shinji asked almost immediately.

"The only condition Yamamoto refused was keeping all of you together, most of us will be assigned to different squads but he did allow the Fraccion to stay with their Espada, and Mashiro will be with Kensei." Ichigo informed. "Everything else went pretty much exactly like we thought. Yamamoto is not happy about this, so expect to be watched closely and monitored almost constantly for the first few weeks."

"At least they agreed and we won't just be sitting around waiting for the apocalypse," Rose tried to look at the only bright side.

Starrk spoke next, "What kind of time do we have?"

"A week, though sooner would be better." Shunsui responded.

"Give me a day and I will have them here," Starrk promised. "We want to get this over with as much as you do."

Love nodded, "Don't doubt it, you guys actually have to live with that bastard."

Ichigo had to ask before he left, "Are you going to tell them about the baby?"

Starrk paused, then sighed, "Ichigo, even if I didn't they are going to know as soon as they look at you. That cub is strong. I'm not going to say anything there, I will take absolutely no chances in letting word get out, but you are going to have to prepare yourself for them to find out about her."

"And we have your word they will not hurt the baby when they realize she's there?" Shunsui asked seriously.

"No one is going to harm her," Starrk reassured before returning to his task.

Isshin's voice reached them, "I need to go check on the girls and explain what is happening." He explained before following Starrk from the cavern.

The others settled down to wait, Ichigo curling against Shunsui, dozing, he was tired after the stress of the day. They had managed to achieve their goal though so he couldn't really complain.

Everything happened fast after that, there was a rush to make arrangements with the humans fighting in the Living World, they were making a check point at Urahara's shop that Harribel would be using to talk with the Shinigami assigned in Karakura.

Starrk and Lilynette had not been kidding when they claimed the others were ready to move at any time, and soon enough six Arrancar stood in the Visoreds' hangout, looking around in interest at the unusual training yard.

It did not take long for Ichigo to be noticed, "Ha, would you look at that, a little pet is on the way." Nnoitra was the first to comment, drawing the other Arrancars' attention and sparking an overwhelming amount of anger in Ichigo.

"Don't you ever call my daughter that again!" He growled out, reaching for Zangetsu and stepping forward menacingly. "It will be the last thing you ever do."

"Oh I'm so scared, not like you can do much with a kid in you," Nnoitra dismissed, only to bring a hand up to a bleeding cheek a few moments later, the shallow slice was already knitting back together but there was blood all the same. Ichigo had flash stepped forward, cut him, and stepped back faster than even he could track. Whatever had happened since his release, no doubt Ichigo had gotten stronger.

Grimmjow's trademark deep laughter resulted both from Ichigo's actions, and the dumbstruck look on Nnoitra's face. "You asked for that."

"Oh shut up!" Nnoitra ordered his subordinate, but like usual Grimmjow ignored him and kept laughing until it was his turn to look Ichigo over measuringly; he seemed to debate with himself a moment before nodding slightly and starting to move towards Ichigo.

As the Espada grew closer to Ichigo, the other Visoreds and Isshin came up to stand around him protectively, "No, let him through." Ichigo requested, seeing no malice only curiosity and seriousness on Grimmjow's face. He firmly believed that Grimmjow would not have saved him only to turn around and kill him.

That did not go down well with Shunsui causing Starrk to reach out and grab Shunsui's arm preventing him from charging. "Just wait." He commanded quietly, "Grimmjow is not going to hurt them." It took everything Shunsui had to yield to both Ichigo's and Starrk's wishes but he eventually lowered his hackles and simply watched.

Grimmjow did not speak until he was less than a step away from Ichigo, eyes tracking downwards to stare at where Ichigo's daughter was curled up inside him. He reached a hand up and lightly ran a finger down Ichigo's abdomen. "Is this my cub?"

"No," Ichigo admitted, putting his own hand over his baby to comfort himself. "She's too young to be yours."

"Pity, she's strong," Grimmjow commented, but didn't back away like Ichigo suspected he would. "So who's is she then?"

"Mine." Shunsui claimed, shaking off Starrk's hand and coming to lay his strong arm around Ichigo's shoulders.

"Ah, that explains it then," Grimmjow realized, sensing the power the elder Shinigami possessed. "This is going to be interesting." He admitted before there was a light smirk flashing across his face. "Although I do seem to remember telling you to get stronger Ichigo, not knocked up."

That caused Ichigo to bristle in irritation, "Well it's not like I planned this!" He objected. "I love her, but she could have picked a better time." He did not want his baby coming during a war, if he lost her he wasn't sure he could survive it.

Szayel was glancing side-ways at Starrk evaluating the Primera, "You've known about this for a while." Statement, not a question.

"Yes." He answered anyway. "I've known since Findor's attack."

Szayel's sharp gaze landed back on Ichigo, where Grimmjow was still teasing both him and the Shinigami that claimed Ichigo as his mate. "I can see why you didn't compromise him. This is something we could use."

"You don't want to say that," Starrk warned, indicating the wall of protectors Ichigo and the baby had. "And truthfully that is only one part of why I covered for him. You saw what he survived, we owe him for that, I will not be responsible for taking his child away from him."

"I didn't say anything about taking her away, now did I? I only said the truth." Szayel reminded. "By the way do you see what I do?"

"Depends on what you think you're seeing," Starrk hedged. There was something he hadn't shared, but he wasn't going to admit it unless Szayel proved he wasn't just fishing.

"That baby has two layers of protection, not just the normal one from the father." Szayel responded, a bit cranky at being called out on his observation skills, but at the same time keeping himself from outright challenging Starrk; that would not end so well for him.

"Wait so you're trying to say the kid has three parents?" Nnoitra asked incredulously, coming up to stand by Starrk and Szayel.

Szayel shook his head, "No, not an extra parent, just extra protection."

Ichigo and Shunsui heard them, even through Grimmjow's teasing, Nnoitra wasn't the quiet type by a long shot. Ichigo felt the arm around him tighten, "They can feel Jyuushiro on you too even without him knowing about our daughter, and that proves just how much he loves you." Shunsui realized with pride and happiness flooding him.

That got Grimmjow's attention, making him look shrewdly between them, "I thought you said that cub was yours?"

"She is," Shunsui insisted, "It just might not be blood. She is either literally mine or she will be born to the two people I love most."

"And what would you have done if she was mine?" Grimmjow demanded harshly, a hint of his volatile temper coming to the surface.

"Loved her anyway." Shunsui replied immediately. "You think we would just abandon Ichigo so easily? We know what happened between the two of you, he told us everything, why would we reject your child if she was a result of you saving Ichigo?"

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, looking at Ichigo this time, "And you? What would you have done?"

"The same as him, I would love her and raise her the best I could." Ichigo insisted, his hand over his daughter again. "If this was your baby she would be safe with us."

A slow nod, "I believe you." Grimmjow realized, "We need to get going soon," Starrk interrupted in the lull of the conversation, "Aizen and Tousen will be waking up soon. If we are not gone by then they will attempt to track us down." This time it had been Gin that drugged the other two, they were afraid of using the same person more than once to trick him, it might not work the second time.

"One thing before we go," Ichigo added, as people began to assemble for the trip over. "No one in Soul Society outside of the people in this room know about the baby, none of you are to say a single word about her unless we are completely sure there is no one in hearing range. The Shinigami will be just as dangerous for her as Aizen."

"Something tells me that is a story meant for a better time," Szayel realized. "Starrk is right, we only have about half an hour before the drug wears off, we need to get moving."

It took a little bit to get everyone moving in the same direction, it was a fairly large party of people, but they were eventually entering the Senkaimon opened by Shunsui, taking them right to the First Squad's barracks.

Yamamoto was not expecting them back so quickly, and it was obvious from the way he scrambled to get the Captains gathered together again on such short notice. Though what he lacked in preparation did not seem to affect the others, and the last person to enter came about forty-five minutes later.

Observing and suspicious gazes came from both groups as Yamamoto started the meeting with three taps of his staff on the ground. "As per the agreement made you have been granted positions among the 13 court guard squads. The conditions this will first and foremost involve will be the placement of power limiters, Captain Kurotsuchi see to that now."

The limiters were a simplified version of a Hollow mask, much like Ichigo's own. The Arrancar and Visoreds were given the choice of where to place the mark, Nnoitra immediately starting to rub and scratch at the irritating mark inscribed on his chest, hating the weakness it brought, his distress plain to see.

There was a pause as Mayuri got to Ichigo, looking to Yamamoto for permission, only to be interrupted by Shunsui. "Not Ichigo. He is supposed to be in charge of Shinji, he can't properly do the job without access to his power."

"Allow the substitute his freedom," Yamamoto decreed. "Do not abuse this trust Kurosaki."

"I have no reason to do otherwise," Ichigo assured, it wasn't like the people around him would actually let him fight even if he wanted to.

"Now Kurosaki you may introduce your allies to their Squad leaders." Yamamoto ordered once all the limiters were placed.

"I already know who I am working with." Soi Fon informed as Ichigo directed Hachi to her, a small smile on the Visored's face; he was going home, or as close as he could get considering the Second squad had the closest connection to the Kido Corps.

Next he took Rose over to Izuru, "Rose this is Lieutenant Izuru Kira, he is the one who taught me Kido." Ichigo explained.

"Thank you for taking such good care of him," Rose told the young Soul Reaper honestly.

A bit of pride showed on Izuru's face. "Ichigo was easy to teach, and I enjoyed it too, I'm glad I could help." He admitted.

Seeing they were getting along, Ichigo moved to the next one, leaving Starrk and Lilynette in Retsu's care. He thought that was a particularly good match from what he had gathered about their personalities; both were incredibly strong fighters that only drew their swords when it was important.

He didn't need to introduce himself, so next was Hiyori to Byakuya. Too bad these two knew each other as well, and from the smirk on Hiyori's face Byakuya was in for a world of mischief, and Ichigo spared a thought to wondering what would happen if she decided to team up with Yachiru.

Love went to Komamura, and they seemed calm and willing to talk to one another, Ichigo was glad to see that. Things were working out as well as he thought they might, and it was amusing to him how much of a star struck puppy Shuhei turned into when he was reunited with Kensei, the matching number tattoos finally making some sense to those that didn't already know about the connection. It was so much of a commotion that Isshin slid behind him almost completely unnoticed, getting a kick out of the Lieutenant's obvious adoration. At least there was no reason to fear discrimination from this one; that was for sure.

Nnoitra and Kenpachi had already been sizing each other up, sensing the barely tamed battle lust lurking within the other, so when Ichigo told the Espada his placement there was a maniacal grin crossing his face. Tesla standing in his shadow just stayed quiet and out of the way so he didn't provoke the wrath of his volatile commander.

Szayel and Kurotsuchi studied each other like they were both itching to place their opposite into their own experiments. It was a match made in Hades, but it might just work.

"Grimmjow, you're with Captain Ukitake," Ichigo had finally reached Jyuushiro. "Now normally this is a time to tell you something like don't worry his bark is worse than his bite, but with him it's about the same." Ichigo admitted, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the smirking Espada. "It's him that has to worry, for you, your bite is much worse than your bark."

"Wait, what the hell does that mean?" Grimmjow asked in irritated confusion.

A gentle smile from Ichigo was more terrifying than any war cry. "It means you don't want to push him too far no matter how calm he appears." Which was oh so very true.

His Jyuushiro was the strongest person he knew. Fighting through all the hardships in life while still being able to smile so fully was a testament to his strength, but he had seen Jyuushiro fight, there was no doubt if Grimmjow went against him, there would be a blue-tinged blood splatter on the ground.

And now they were back in the Seireitei, his two loves within reaching distance, and looking into Jyuushiro's eyes he saw nothing but hope and love. Ichigo could not wait to tell this gentle loving man about the baby laying under his heart.


	23. All I really Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big reveal

As much as Ichigo just wanted to kidnap Jyuushiro and spend some quality time with him and Shunsui, there was important business that needed to be seen to first, namely going with Shinji to begin repairing some of the shattered trust of the Fifth Squad members.

Even the normally hyperactive Shinji was calm and solemn as the wary Soul Reapers gathered in the training yard, lining up in neat ranks; the strongest were in the front closest to Ichigo and Shinji.

The former captain drew himself up to his full height, and was the first to address them, "I want to let you know right away that we understand you've been through hell in the last few months. This decision to join you was not made out of any desire to add to that, if anything I'd like to give you guys a break. I was once the Captain of this squad and I still hold that title in regard. Allow me to do my job again and I promise to get revenge for the suffering you have endured." Even Ichigo had never heard the other Visored speaking so seriously. This was his home, and he had been forced to leave it in the hands of the treacherous Aizen, something he was likely to never forgive himself for.

"What makes you any different from Aizen?" An older man snapped, judging by his position in the group he was a seated officer.

"I'm not." Shinji admitted outright. "That is what we need to remember. I am not any different from him because none of us are. He was one of us, lived here every day, knew all the rules and methods. If we forget that he is going to win. We treat him like he is this unknown enemy when in reality we should know him just as well as we know ourselves if we admit reality."

"There is no way in Hell I am anything like that monster!" The same man yelled.

"Oh really?" Shinji challenged. "Because that rage you are feeling against me is the same emotion he feels towards the Soul Society. We all feel anger, hatred, jealousy, and pride; Aizen is all of those. Quit putting him on a pedestal; that is exactly what he wants. The more we try to separate ourselves from him the better off he is, we won't be able to fight him at full strength."

The man was going to interrupt again when a younger Shinigami stuck her arm out to hold him back, "I think the question we need to ask is why did you come back in the first place? I wasn't here while you were Captain but I do know the story, we all do, so explain that one to me?" She demanded.

"I'm back because if we are going to beat Aizen we have to fight together," Shinji reminded. "Keep in mind he ruined my life and took all I had away from me, just because I admit to being like him does not mean I am going to let him win; if anything it just makes me want to fight harder. His hatred of the soul society is nothing compared to the loathing I have towards him." His face softened then, and Ichigo took over in order to say the necessary things that Shinji couldn't put to words.

"We don't expect you to trust us any time soon," He reassured. "We are not going to repeat Aizen's mistakes. Neither Shinji nor I will ask you to do anything you do not want to do, or participate in a way that you disapprove of. I ask that you give us a chance to show that we are worthy of your faith, just a chance, let us earn it." Ichigo was a quick learner when it came to motivational speaking, it was swiftly becoming a well-honed skill of his.

She nodded slowly, "Very well, I'll give you one chance. I am the Third seat Rin Aida."

The grumpy man beside her spoke again, "I don't like this, but I guess we don't have much of a choice. I'm the Fourth seat Makoto Aki."

From there the other seven officers introduced themselves, with varying levels of acceptance, but it was honestly better than Ichigo had dared hope for. Shinji and him made a good team when they needed to.

Questions continued late into the afternoon, mostly rehashing the plans already made before arriving. The Squads had been kept more in the dark than Ichigo had expected. Unfortunately, not really a surprise, more a disappointment. How in the heck did the head-captain believe he would motivate these shell-shocked warriors into fighting again if he wasn't giving them even a shred of useful information?

Meanwhile there was a stare down going on in the Thirteenth barracks. Jyuushiro had Grimmjow pinned in place with a sharp gaze. "I don't know how much you have been told about me." He started calmly. "But if you believe for one second that I will allow harm to come to my squad for any reason you are sorely mistaken. I took you in because Ichigo believes in you, should you betray that trust there will be nothing left of you for Yamamoto to exile."

"I left that hell hole by choice," Grimmjow growled. "I stuck my neck out for him and all of you. Betraying that would just be stupid and not worth my time. I like to fight, and I want to fight Aizen, is there anything else you need to know?" He demanded.

"Actually yes, there is." Jyuushiro's gift was the ability to remain calm even when being challenged, it's what made him such a good negotiator. "I have heard from Ichigo the reason you gave him for freeing him, but I want to hear it from you. Why did you help him escape?"

"Because I wanted to." Grimmjow replied flippantly. "I don't have a real reason other than getting him out would piss off Aizen, and of course now Kurosaki owes me."

"That's really all there is?" Jyuushiro probed, he had spent far too many years as a trainer of young Shinigami to get thrown off by bravado.

"Yeah, that's about it." Grimmjow kept using the same tone, one with a near utter lack of seriousness.

Jyuushiro's dark green eyes narrowed, "Why don't I believe you?" Anyone else might have missed the almost involuntary twitch that shook Grimmjow's shoulders.

"Why would I lie?" Grimmjow defended himself. "I have no reason to when you Shinigami have me cornered."

"I have known a few wild beasts in my time," Jyuushiro started conversationally. "When they're cornered is often when they fight the hardest, and in your case I highly doubt you are above lying. You've even managed to lie to Aizen so is it really a surprise I have my doubts?"

Grimmjow fell silent, there wasn't a whole lot he could argue about with that, well okay there was one. "Arrancar are not beasts, we can still think for ourselves."

"So that's what it is," There was triumph in Jyuushiro's voice now while there was nothing but confusion on Grimmjow. "You freed him because you couldn't stand to see Ichigo being treated like an animal; even more than Aizen or Soul Society has done to you. It was about pride." The Espada's sudden complete silence proved the deduction.

"Why do you care!" Grimmjow growled. Jyuushiro had been right when he said wild things are prone to fighting harder when backed into a corner.

"Because it's Ichigo." Jyuushiro replied simply.

That sent up a red flag in Grimmjow's mind, "Ah, it is you, I thought so. Looks like someone here is in for a surprise."

Rapid blinking, "Surprise?"

Laughter was not something he would have expected from the Espada. "Just you wait, I want to see the fallout from this one."

"Should I be worried?" Jyuushiro was not sure how to read Grimmjow's expressions well enough yet to guess anything further.

"Probably," He admitted, "But not for the reason you think." This was kinda fun if Grimmjow was being honest with himself. He wasn't going to tell him about the baby first, but that was mainly because he wanted to see Ichigo struggling to do it himself.

Of course that did nothing but put Jyuushiro on higher alert, but he had to ignore it, if he spent too much time alone with Grimmjow he would have Sentaro and Kiyone charging to the "rescue" and while he appreciated their good intentions he wanted to avoid that for now. It would not be good for the squad to think their captain was incapable of handling his responsibilities.

Time to introduce the arrogant Arrancar to his squad, though the thought of how Rukia might react did give him pause, but unfortunately this was one occasion where he could not let the comfort of one dictate his decisions. He was able to relieve a little of his guilt after realizing it would be good for the younger Kuchiki to see Hollows as something more than monsters who went bump in the night; there were two sides to every story. Ichigo had laid the groundwork in getting her to believe that but it would take actual interaction with the ones she feared most before she could overcome her fears.

XXXXX

Ichigo was going insane with waiting. He knew it would look too suspicious if as soon as he took on his new duties he rushed off to a different squad. He would have to wait at least until dark and even then he would want a good excuse just in case he was stopped.

Shinji tried to help him come up with ideas, "I could go with you tonight, and we can start by visiting all the squads with a Visored or Arrancar in it; that way we can tell anyone who asks you are just keeping your promise to watch out for all the hybrids."

"I guess that could work," Ichigo responded, thinking it over.

"There are two problems that may come up though," Shinji warned as the plan firmed up in his mind. "I know we can get you to Jyuushiro, but to make sure the two of you don't get in trouble for leaving Grimmjow and I alone we will have to stay with you and I doubt we could sneak Shunsui in."

"Don't worry about Shunsui, he will be able to make it, both of them are good at getting where they want to be without being seen. If I do go to all the other squads it means I will see him first and can warn him that is what we are doing." Ichigo realized as he remembered the nights the three of them had managed to steal some alone time together by travelling at night. "I think you are right though in saying you and Grimmjow will have to stay with us. At least Shunsui can leave Lisa with Nanao and they shouldn't get in too much trouble."

"I know I'll stay out of the way as much as I can," Shinji promised. "I can attempt to distract Grimmjow, but I don't know how well it will work."

"Thanks for trying, I just want him to know about her, it's been so long I'm not going to be too picky on how he finds out as long as it's from me or Shunsui." Ichigo admitted.

"When would you want to start seeing the other squads?" Shinji didn't need Ichigo to tell him he was getting restless, the younger Visored was practically vibrating with nerves. At least he seemed more excited than nervous, so Shinji wasn't too worried about him stressing himself out but he would still like to see Ichigo get calmed down as soon as possible.

"We at least need to meet with the officers first, and get some kind of order set up," Ichigo decided. "We need to make sure the squad is taken care of first."

"Let's get started then," Shinji advised as he got up to go start collecting together the seated officers.

There were ten in total for the fifth squad, and after quick introductions it was time to get down to business. "Who has been in charge of you since Aizen defected?" Shinji was the one doing the talking, Ichigo had known from the start he would be the more active participant.

"Captain Hitsugaya has been assisting us, and it is my job to carry out his orders the best I can." The Third seat from earlier, Rin, responded promptly.

"Good, at least you haven't been left completely to your own devices." Shinji was truly relieved. "Now I expect things will still be similar in that our orders will come through a third party but I expect that will be Ichigo now; he has the official title authorizing him to take the role."

Ichigo had to butt in there, "I think you have noticed by now that I am going to let Shinji take charge, he knows what he is doing and I don't. If what we think is true happens than I will just be passing the messages on, he will be the one carrying them out."

The sixth one in line asked, "Is this really going to work? I mean bringing Hollows to our side, it just doesn't seem right."

Shinji's face softened, his usual grin lessening, "In all honesty I don't know. We don't have any idea how this is going to go, but we have to try. I am half-Hollow yes, so is Ichigo, and many others, but we want to fight side-by-side with you against a threat bigger than all of us. Never forget this was once my home, and it was for the seven other Visoreds with us, I have bad memories of this place, but many good ones as well. I won't give up on the good just because I've seen some of the bad."

"Thank you for being honest," The officer responded, sounding authentic. They were just sick of being lied to and then treated like children, it was nice to have someone answering their questions with raw truth.

"We meant what we said earlier," Shinji reminded, "We want you to come to trust us. We have no intention of ever lying to you, and we don't have anything to hide either. Ask your questions and we will do what we can to ease your worries." Okay so they did have one secret, but as long as no one asked about it then they didn't have to lie. Somehow Shinji believed they would be fine. Under the circumstances asking about a child would be one of the last things on a warrior's mind.

"What really happened back then?" This was the Eighth seat, "I was in the squad, but not an officer yet, none of the general members were told anything specific."

First Shinji, and then with prompting, Ichigo told their stories. Rumors had been flying about both incidents for a long time, and even more since recent events had brought them up again. It was nice to get the facts set straight for once. "Oh, and don't be shy about spreading those stories around." Shinji added once Ichigo was finished. "Again, nothing to hide. The more everyone knows about us the more comfortable people will be working with us. I would advise at least trying to understand the Arrancar as well. They come from a different world, but they are here for the same reason as myself and the other Visoreds are, give them a chance to prove themselves too."

"Might want to steer clear of the Twelfth though, Kurotsuchi is bad enough without adding in Szayel," Ichigo commented. "With Szayel, being a Hollow is not what you have to worry about, it's his hobbies."

"Do I want to know what you mean when you say hobbies?" Rin asked slowly.

"You know how Kurotsuchi has a thing with scalpels and drugs?" He got a wary nod, "Szayel likes those too. They might as well be twins when they get curious about something."

"Anything else we should know about them?" Makoto asked belligerently.

"Look, you won't run into anything from them that you haven't already seen from the Shinigami here." Ichigo responded in frustration. "Szayel is just like Kurotsuchi, Nnoitra and Grimmjow are like Kenpachi, it keeps going on like that. Not to mention the Visoreds used to be one of you so they really aren't any different."

"And you? What gives you the right to command them, and us?" Now Ichigo was sure they needed to tread very carefully around him, he was lashing out at anything he could. That kind of explosive anger was very dangerous, especially if it was unprompted by anything specific.

"The largest target is on my back," Ichigo replied with deadly calm. "You think I asked for this? I never did, I just wanted to protect what I love. If this is the way I have to act to make that happen I will do it. I already told you I am not the one commanding you, Shinji will be doing that, all I'm doing is playing the game Yamamoto set up. As for the Arrancar, I earned my place with them. I survived Aizen, and proved myself to them. They didn't give me command, I took it." He was fighting hard to keep Junichi reigned in now. His Hollow was just as angry as he himself was.

Shinji grabbed his shoulder and squeezed, "I think that's enough for today Ichigo." He soothed, before turning to the officers again. "Ichigo and I want to go check on the others, for now just keep up the duties you have been performing, if anything new comes up we will inform you."

With that he shuffled Ichigo out of the Barrack's office as soon as he could.

"Sorry," Ichigo grumbled as he tried to rein in his temper, it was a lot harder than he remembered.

"They were irritating me too," Shinji admitted, "But this time I don't think this is all you." He added on with a glance downwards.

There wasn't anyone around them at the moment that they could sense, but Ichigo still didn't want to talk about it openly, so he just nodded, thinking Shinji was probably right. He had a hot temper to start with and apparently his daughter did too. This did not bode well in raising her in his opinion. She was going to be a handful.

Once he had a better handle on his temper he made good on his word to go visit the others. As expected Hacchi was just fine, in fact he was being swarmed by starry-eyed young Shinigami wanting to hear his side of the story just like the Fifth had asked of Shinji and Ichigo. He was just so gentle and approachable he was probably the least frightening of the hybrids, with the possible exception of the childlike Lilynette.

Next they went to see Izuru and Rose, a little more apprehension was visible there, but it looked to be smoothing out well. Anyone who used to be a captain was good at regaining that respect once again as long as they played by the rules.

Both him and Izuru noticed Ichigo was a little worked up. He was calm enough now though that Shinji's explanation came across as the teasing it was meant as.

Ichigo was still happy to move on though, especially since the next stop was Retsu and Starrk. He debated with himself a moment, but realized this was too good an opportunity to pass up. "Hey, Retsu, it's been awhile since you could check on me, do you think you have time for a quick once over?"

That caught her by surprise. He attended all appointments made for him, but he almost never went to her on his own. "I don't see why not. It's been a slow day." She approved.

Ichigo noticed the knowing smirk on Starrk's face, and scowled a bit in the primera's direction before following Retsu to an exam room.

"Okay Ichigo, what's going on?" She questioned seriously once they were alone.

"Ah, well," This was a lot easier in his mind. "When you gave me that last check-up, something was hiding from you."

"What was hiding? Are you still feeling sick? You should have told me." She chastised.

He shook his head, "Not like that, when I said something, I should have said someone." He settled his hand over his daughter and looked at Retsu to see her reaction.

The look of dawning understanding crossing her face made him want to smile. "You think you're pregnant?"

"I know I am," He admitted. "I wanted you to check on her and make sure she is still alright."

"Of course, go ahead and lay down." Retsu pulled herself together and turned back to her usual professional mode.

Her hands glowed with Kido as she put them over his stomach, searching for the threads of new life. "Ah, thought so. She was too little for me to find her last time." Retsu realized with her power twinning together with the baby's. "She is certainly strong now though. I doubt you have anything to worry about health wise. Keeping her safe is going to be your top priority. I can see why you have progressed your plan so quickly knowing this."

"Yeah we wanted to get everything in place before anyone that might put her in danger found out." He agreed.

"You chose well," Retsu approved, "I don't think you have long before some people are going to start noticing her. You're lucky in that you have learned to control your spiritual pressure so on a regular basis no one will be looking too closely. Try not to lose your temper or get into a situation where you might let your power flare, if there is ever going to be a time someone notices her it will be then."

"Well, there was a little incident earlier," Ichigo confessed, explaining about the confrontation between himself and the officer.

"That's not uncommon," Retsu assured, "And right now you do have the excuse of stress to write it off as if someone does comment on you getting too volatile. Again, do everything you can to control your power, and if you do I think you can get away with deflecting attention in that way."

"So she's okay?" Ichigo trusted the others around him, but this was Retsu, there was no better healer than her.

Finally Retsu let herself smile, "Yes, she's perfect. I'm not going to ask the obvious question this brings up, because I'm pretty sure I already know, I just want you to know once you do tell her father he can come with you to any check-ups."

"Is it okay if I bring two people with me?" Ichigo asked.

"This is your baby Ichigo, it is your choice who comes with you or not, but you should limit it to as few as you can manage to keep her safe." She advised.

"Oh, I'm being careful." Ichigo assured, "More people know than you would expect I'm guessing, but they won't betray me. I wouldn't bring anyone with me that I didn't have a good excuse for being around them other than the baby."

"How many know?" That worried Retsu a bit, Ichigo was known to be reckless but she highly doubted he would let that affect his judgments regarding his daughter.

"Everyone who came with us knows. There are a few still in the Living World, but they won't give me away." He replied.

"Are you sure they won't?" Retsu couldn't help but double check.

"Positive," Ichigo insisted. "They have protected me through much worse, and I did the same for them. They won't put her in any danger."

"Good, now I doubt we can get away with long checks without someone at least getting curious, so rather than waiting to do one long check-up, I would prefer meeting you more often for less time each visit." She got back on track. "Your daughter is healthy, so it shouldn't take long to keep confirming that and make sure everything is going the way it should."

"Whatever is best for her," He allowed, "I can come around by saying I'm checking on Starrk and Lilynette."

"That will work." Retsu agreed, "Now you go take care of yourself and that baby, I take it Isshin knows?" After Ichigo's nod she continued, "Good, then he has probably been helping you with staying healthy, I can leave that in his hands then as far as what you should be eating and how much sleep to get."

"Yes, he's gone over all of that with me," Ichigo assured, "He is very protective of his granddaughter."

"I can't imagine him being anything less," Retsu admitted.

From there Ichigo rejoined Shinji and they travelled through the rest of the squads, picking up Shunsui from the Eighth as they went along, and getting a quick word in edgewise with Isshin that he had seen Retsu. One last stop to make sure Nnoitra and Kenpachi were leaving at least some of the Seireitei intact he could finally skip over the Twelfth and head to Jyuushiro.

Shinji did his best to bait Grimmjow away from the trio as they spent a long few minutes with their arms wrapped around each other, reuniting after many weeks of separation. Looking from the outside it was difficult to tell what set of limbs belonged to what person, and in reality to them it didn't matter.

Finally they were whole again.

Once they had calmed down from the euphoria brought on by seeing each other again, Shunsui carefully scanned the area around them for anyone in hearing range. They were lucky. "Sentaro and Kiyone are on rounds, we have time to tell him now Ichi." He informed practically bursting with happiness.

Jyuushiro looked between his loves with curiosity and surprise, "What's going on?"

Ichigo leaned up and kissed him softly, reaching for his hand and drawing it down to his stomach. "I'm pregnant." He had spent so long trying to decide how to tell him, and no matter how elaborate it just didn't feel right. This was much better.

This time he was expecting the tackle, and was well braced for it as he was engulfed in a spray of silver hair with lean strong arms wrapped around his shoulders. He burrowed his face into Jyuushiro's pale neck, breathing in the light scent that he couldn't put a name to, it was nothing but pure Jyuushiro.

Jyuushiro wasn't very patient with that, putting a finger under his chin and lifting his face up so he could get to his lips, kissing the life out of him.

"This is really happening?" The white-haired captain asked as he gripped onto Ichigo for dear life, finally regaining the ability to speak.

"Yes, it is," Shunsui was the one to respond, as he put an arm around each of their shoulders. He had given them some time together, but he sorely missed Jyuushiro too and couldn't stand to stay back any longer.

Both Ichigo and Jyuushiro understood, and he was more than welcome back in the circle of affection with them.

"Are you okay with this Ichigo?" Jyuushiro asked seriously, squeezing his arms in reassurance. "You have already been through so much."

"I'm terrified, but I want her," Ichigo confessed honestly, "It's a lot to take in, but I won't let anything happen to her."

"It's a girl?" Ichigo's nod was followed by another crushing hug, "I never thought I would have children of my own. Even if it was allowed my body is too weak to carry a child safely, and Shunsui can't carry one in the first place. You, Shunsui, and this little girl are everything I have ever wanted." Jyuushiro didn't stop himself from kissing Ichigo again. "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you and her never have to be afraid of anything." He promised.

"We are going to have a lot of help with that Jyuu," Shunsui added on. "We wanted to wait for you to know, but we had to get her protected. Anyone who came with us knows, and they promised to help us protect her."

Hearing that made Jyuushiro turn to face Grimmjow, "Even the Espada?"

"Yes," Grimmjow answered for himself. "Our Primera has a soft-spot for cubs, we listen to him if we want to keep our heads attached." He tried to brush it off.

"That's only part of it though," Ichigo decided to interrupt, "At least in Grimmjow's case. He is returning the favor."

"What?" Now all Jyuushiro felt was confusion.

Grimmjow emitted a frustrated growl, "It could have been my cub okay! You would protect mine, so I protect yours, not a hard concept." He grumbled.

"It is for people not used to Hollows showing either ethics or gratitude," Shinji reminded, having followed everything just as well as Grimmjow had done.

"That's not my fault." Grimmjow argued. "I shouldn't have to explain myself every two seconds because you Shinigami think you are the kings of the pride. Hate to break it to you, but you are not the only ones who have rules you know, ours are just different."

Jyuushiro put a hand in the air in surrender, "Relax, I've spent enough time around Ichigo and Junichi to know not to jump to conclusions. I didn't ask you that because you are a Hollow, I asked because you are Grimmjow and you haven't had the best history with Ichigo."

"Well then say that next time," Grimmjow shot back, leaning his weight back against the wall and making a show of ignoring the others in the room now.

"You really are nothing but a big cat," Ichigo commented, getting a glare in response.

"So says the lizard," He mumbled, before pointedly turning his head away.

Jyuushiro tapped Shunsui on the shoulder, "Is it just me or are those two being almost friendly?"

"Not just you." Shunsui assured. "Started as soon as Grimmjow joined up with us, those two keep picking on each other, but it helps Ichigo relieve stress so none of us feel like we need to intervene unless Ichigo asks us to; which he hasn't done yet by the way."

"I'm so excited Shun, this, it's more than I could have dreamed." Jyuushiro commented looking onto their young love picking on the Espada with a gentle smile on his face. "He knows how hard this is going to be right?"

"Of course he does, I believe that's why he enjoys moments like this when he can." Shunsui observed. "We will take care of him, and many will be helping us do that, but in the end we have to trust in his strength to get through this."

"If anyone can, it's him." Jyuushiro affirmed.

"I thought so too." Shunsui agreed, pulling him close for a kiss. "I missed you too."

"And I missed you." Jyuushiro responded, kissing back. "No matter how hard this is going to be I'm glad the two of you are back."

"Glad to be back," Shunsui whispered, before kissing him again.


	24. Show Me This Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little something starts to make herself noticed.

Ichigo turned again, huffing, but nothing changed. He hadn't really expected it to, but still it was worth trying. He took a deep breath and pulled in his stomach, but the firm little curve he had noticed developing was still there. Not very big yet, but visible. The strong muscles of his abdomen were flattening out; the skin stretching tight. He was going on three and half months pregnant and his daughter was getting big enough to see. "Ah Shinji could you come in here a second?" He called out to the Visored in the next room over.

It wasn't more than two minutes before the blond was skidding into the room, rushing to get to Ichigo in case something was wrong, "What's going on, are you okay?" He interrogated.

"I'm fine," Ichigo assured, turning away from the mirror and towards Shinji. He was only wearing his Hakama so his stomach could be seen clearly. "I have a little problem though; I'm starting to show."

Shinji tried to calm his racing heart, "It's going to be alright, I thought this would be happening soon."

"What if someone notices her?" Ichigo asked worriedly, his hand going to the still tiny bump.

"As long as you don't take your shirt off around other people, I doubt anyone could see her." Shinji assured. "I know because I have seen you before, someone who hasn't might even overlook it entirely even if you didn't keep covered."

"Still, it's only going to get more obvious that I'm gaining weight." He figured he was justified in his terror.

"Well you have been avoiding sparring, maybe we can pass it off as a result of that for a while?" Shinji suggested.

"Just how gullible do you think people are?" Ichigo asked incredulously. "Even right after I got back from Heuco Mundo Retsu had me doing simple exercises to keep in shape. Why wouldn't she do it again now when I'm definitely healthier than before?"

Shinji sighed, "Look there's not much we can do about it, and the only thing I can think of is to ask Retsu if she knows any good, and safe, ways of hiding the baby."

"Sounds like it's a good time to check on Starrk," Ichigo realized Shinji's suggestion really was their only option for the moment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It turned out Retsu was not surprised at the visit, "I thought you might be coming in soon. I already have something for you." She reassured, Ichigo letting out a huge sigh of relief at the confident tone.

"Thank you," He responded gratefully.

"I want to keep that baby safe too," She admitted before leaving the room for a few moments to retrieve whatever it was.

Ichigo's eyebrows rose in surprise when she came back with what looked like a wide compression bandage like the ones typically used for strained muscles.

"I'm going to show you how to use this to bind your abdomen correctly, if you do it right the baby will be perfectly safe and it might even give you some relief too," She explained. "As the baby gets heavier she is going to put more of a strain on your back and this should counteract some of that."

"It's really safe for her?" He wasn't sure about that.

"Yes, I'm positive, this is a technique I have used before on female Shinigami who were expecting. It's actually pretty common." Retsu expanded. "If you start getting used to tying and wearing it now it will be more comfortable for you when you get further along."

After that she carefully guided him through the somewhat delicate process, the trick was to get it firm enough to give support while loose enough the baby had room. She was pleased at how quickly he caught on, but he was shaping up to be a very good healer on top of having a lot of motivation to learn this for his daughter's sake.

It was as good a time as any when they were finished to do what he was actually supposed to be, "How are Starrk and Lilynette settling in?"

"I like them," Retsu admitted. "He is a very interesting person, we have already had several good discussions, and she is a happy little thing. I find it fascinating how different they are and yet how close their bond is. It is truly amazing to watch them together. It looks to me more like he is her father than any kind of commander or battle partner."

"I think with those two it is more of a family kind of thing, or at least that's the closest word we have for it. They might not act a whole lot alike but they are completely devoted to each other." He was now fully aware just what the connection between them was, but it didn't change that fact it really did look like Starrk was her father.

Retsu looked contemplative for a moment, "I think he makes for a very good father, no matter the true case. For someone caught up in Aizen's net she is still surprisingly innocent and I believe that comes from his influence; he shielded her."

"I know he is very fond of children," Ichigo informed. "He was the first to know about mine, and is probably one of the most protective over her; at least of those not directly related."

"That sounds a lot like the person he presents himself as," She analyzed, "I always find honesty refreshing."

"I think he is old and strong enough he has no real reason not to be," Ichigo offered up a new way of looking at it.

"That is another thing," She continued. "The way he wields his power. He gets people to listen to him just by suggestion. The Espada that came with him show visible signs of submissiveness around him when they are the very picture of dominance when away from him. It is a truly odd dynamic I have not witnessed. Usually once you have a high position like that you have to fight to keep it."

"Not in the Hollow world," Ichigo remembered his lessons well. "Power is everything. They can sense exactly how strong someone is, probably more accurately than we can, Starrk does not need to prove what they already know. If you were at risk of being annihilated you would show a bit of submissiveness too."

"Perhaps," She conceded, "Still, he doesn't even have to raise his voice. It is a level of indoctrination that I really can't understand yet, but I would like to."

"Keep talking with Starrk and I'm sure you will, he is usually okay with answering questions and is pretty calm even if you ask one he doesn't like." Ichigo advised.

"Sounds good, but you should probably be leaving soon if you do not want to attract attention," She warned, realizing just how long they had spent talking. A quick check-up should not run much longer than twenty minutes and by then it had been a little over half an hour.

Ichigo listened to her and with the serious business out of the way he slowly allowed himself to relax and enjoy the fact his baby was healthy and strong enough to be causing this kind of problem. It was truly a good thing that she was growing so well.

He was nothing but a ball of nervous excitement as he waited for nightfall and the chance to sneak over to Jyuushiro's; it was safer to go to his squad since if Ichigo was stopped on the way he could claim he was checking up on Grimmjow where Lisa had never brought any kind of suspicion on herself. Shinji sent a hell butterfly to Shunsui so he would meet them there traveling separately. They were taking absolutely no chances with their baby.

By the time Ichigo got to the private Captain's quarters he heard soft voices from inside the room, he peeked inside to see Jyuushiro and Shunsui holding each other close, Shunsui's lips were on Jyuushiro's forehead while the white-haired captain had his arms wrapped around the slightly taller Shunsui's shoulders.

It was such a simple and sweet moment, but it was something that made Ichigo's heart swell as his hand dropped to his daughter. These were his loves, and with the amount of devotion and care those two had shown to their squads, each other, and now him; he knew his daughter could never ask for better daddies.

He let them have a few minutes of closeness, knowing they needed it after the long separation. Part of being together with them was honoring the history they shared. Centuries of love left a big mark on a soul, and while they had soothed Ichigo's doubts, he wanted their love to stay strong with him rather than in despite of him.

Their bright smiles when they caught sight of him was just more proof that he was a welcome addition and not a burden. The same expression they showed each other, they shared with him. He melted into their arms, connecting the three of them together tightly, feeling lips on his neck and jaw, as he was practically smothered with kisses.

"What's going on? Shinji didn't say anything specific, we were worried." Shunsui explained, they had been comforting each other when Ichigo found them, waiting nervously for their young love to arrive.

"Check for people?" Ichigo requested before saying another word.

"We're alone I already told Sentaro and Kiyone that I was going to bed soon and sent them on rounds, they won't disturb us or allow anyone else in the squad to do it either." Jyuushiro had turned hiding from his squad into an art form, both to get some time with Shunsui and to hide his more minor relapses of illness.

"Then there is something you two should know," Ichigo broke out into a wide smile, snagging one of their hands each and putting them on his stomach. "Can you feel that? She's getting big."

Of course he had not expected the pair of them to break out into tears, it took him a second to realize the sounds he was hearing was not sobbing but relieved and excited laughter. They just about knocked the wind out of him they were hugging him so tightly, rubbing their hands all over their daughter. He relaxed into their ministrations enjoying their touch and love. He so needed that after the fear earlier in the day. No doubt they had their own fears but this was about being together with their growing family. There would be time for worries later once they had celebrated the health of their daughter.

That was before they were interrupted though. What Jyuushiro had not counted on was that there was someone in the compound that was very closely acquainted with Ichigo's power and since the baby gave off a type of presence only one of his kind could detect, Grimmjow had known the moment Ichigo had entered the compound but had taken his time before wandering over.

Blue eyes scanned them measuringly, the trio not breaking apart since it wasn't like the Espada didn't know about them, and they were pretty sure Grimmjow would willingly set himself on fire before he told the head-captain any kind of information. They were a little surprised when he spoke and actually managed to sound concerned, "Is the cub okay?" He saw where their hands were and knew Ichigo attempted to keep meetings contained to more public places so that they were less obvious in their closeness.

"She's fine," Ichigo replied slowly, not taking his eyes away from Jyuushiro and Shunsui, but willing to answer that much at least. "I was telling them something."

"Let me guess, you can see the cub can't you? Thought she would be getting big enough soon," It wasn't hard for him to figure out, but it did bring up a question.

"How would you know?" Not an accusation, just curiosity on Ichigo's part.

The answer Grimmjow gave was quick to come. "I wasn't kidding the other day. I think it's a pity she isn't mine, I would have liked to have a cub." The most surprising thing about the statement was how readily the Espada was willing to admit it.

"You want children?" That somehow was not quite adding up in Jyuushiro's head.

"Don't you?" Grimmjow fired back. "What? Because I'm a Hollow I can't want a cub?"

Seemed to Jyuushiro that they had already had this discussion, but it sounded like the Arrancar had yet to believe him. "Look, I've told you this before. When I make comments like that it is not because you are a Hollow, I love Ichigo and he is one too, I say it because it's you. Pretty much all I know at this point is you like to fight, how would I know you wanted a family?"

"Like the rest of you Shinigami would really care, let alone think to ask?" Grimmjow accused, crossing his arms in front of him in irritation. "I happen to like both fighting and cubs, is that so hard to believe?"

"Coming from you? It is surprising, yes." Shunsui was unafraid to admit, "But that doesn't mean we don't believe you now.

"Well, when this whole mess with Aizen is over maybe you'll find someone. I think you may discover several people of interest should you think to look." Ichigo added onto the conversation. "I wasn't kidding either you know, I would still love and take care of her if she we're yours, but you will never hear me regret how things turned out." He turned to press a kiss against each of his love's cheeks in reassurance.

"Yeah right. Play nice with the Shinigami? I don't think so. I'd want someone stronger to give me a cub," Grimmjow dismissed.

"I think you may just be surprised at the kind of strength some Shinigami have, a lot of them are young but tough, and those are the ones you are most likely to get through to. They haven't had as much time to be indoctrinated with hatred towards Hollows. You have pride, I'm fully aware of that, but you will find someone that matches that. Give it a chance at least." Ichigo did care about Grimmjow, he owed his life and now his daughter's of course he'd want to reassure him.

"I'm not holding my breath," To say Grimmjow was still skeptical was a bit of an understatement. "Now, do I get a chance to see her or not?" He demanded, once again surprising the trio.

A few quick telling glances at each other had Shunsui and Jyuushiro slowly sliding off to the side, not letting go of Ichigo but giving the Espada access to his front.

Grimmjow indulged in a good long look before reaching a hand out and setting it on the barely there curve, opening his senses to the baby; seeing if she would respond to him. The enthusiastic flare he felt made his eyes go wide, before he sent another testing wave towards her, only to have that one reflected to him once more. "She is getting strong, the cub can hit back now." There was a difference in what they felt in the beginning of fuzzy awareness, this was deliberate, she was learning to control the power around her. "This is likely instinctive now, but still, it's a sign she is toughening up."

"She can do that already?" Ichigo asked incredulously, his own hand forcing Grimmjow's away.

"Of course she can, she's one of us," Grimmjow stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't know how it works for a Shinigami, but in Hollows being able to respond to power sent to her with her own works the same as kicking will later; it's practice. A Hollow is born ready to fight. Never forget you are not only a Shinigami, you are also a Hollow, and so is this cub."

"Our children practice too," Jyuushiro informed. "How early they start doing it just depends on how strong the baby is. Though I guess with the Hollow influence she might be hitting those stages sooner than she would otherwise."

Grimmjow shook his head, "No, trust me, she's strong. I believe she would be able to do it whether she was a Hollow or not." That comment had the conversation sway back onto safer topics.

The four of them were surprisingly comfortable around each other, enough that they found themselves sitting in Jyuushiro's quarters calmly talking until late into the night, and Ichigo realized he needed to head back to the Fifth squad before it was discovered that he had left Shinji 'unsupervised' for most of the night.

He made one more stop before going home, he snuck into the Squad Nine compound and managed to wake his dad up without catching anyone's notice. Since he couldn't be completely sure of being alone, he just put a finger to his lips asking for silence, before putting his father's hand on his lower belly like he had done with Jyuushiro and Shunsui.

He endured a near bone-crushing hug, and Isshin kissed the top of his head in the riot of orange hair, whispering, "I'm so proud of you."

"I wanted you to know," Ichigo responded just as quietly, "Retsu is helping me hide her but I didn't want to keep her hidden from you too."

Isshin's warm hand rubbed in firm circles over the baby, "Thank you for telling me. I love your little girl already, I know you are going to be so good with her."

"She is going to be so loved," Ichigo observed, "There are so many people waiting for her. I just want her here and safe already."

"I know you do, and so do I, but don't rush her. She'll come when she's ready." Isshin assured before giving him another hug. "Everything will be fine, you concentrate on keeping her healthy and the rest of us will worry about keeping her safe. We won't let anything happen to her."

"That's all I want." Ichigo admitted, letting his father soothe away some of his worries. He was glad Isshin had decided to follow him back. As weird and unpredictable as Isshin could be, Ichigo couldn't imagine trying to get through this without him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was another week later and despite going on three weeks without bad incidents since the Espada and Visoreds arrived the hybrids were still on lock down. Lilynette had the worst cabin fever, she had been cooped up for so long she was practically bursting with restless energy. She could only travel with Starrk and in turn he couldn't go anywhere unless he had an upper level officer or Ichigo with him.

The solution had been found in a bouncing ball of pink Shinigami. Yachiru had been enraptured by Lilynette; impressed that such a strong person was wrapped up in a child's body just like her. With her and Kenpachi escorting the pair of Arrancar, Lilynette finally got a chance to see more of the unfamiliar world she found herself in, they did have to leave Nnoitra and Tesla with another captain, but Komamura took them on as good practice for his squad. This let Kenpachi and Starrk allow the girls to pretty much run around like maniacs while they got the chance to talk.

Kenpachi was immediately questioning the Primera, "Just what would it take to get you to spar with me? That Nnoitra is good, but I want to see what you can do." He was itching for that kind of blood boiling battle.

"I don't fight unless I have to," Starrk readily admitted. "Nnoitra and Grimmjow are your best bets for a few rounds of fighting, though Szayel can be provoked if he thinks he can get something out of it."

"What good is power you don't use?" Kenpachi was having trouble with the concept of someone so strong unwilling to exercise that skill.

"I happen to believe the best weapon is one you don't have to use more than once. I have already proven myself to my subordinates so I feel no need to push it further until I am called on for a real battle." Starrk explained calmly. It was a conversation he had been involved in before when the more volatile Espada got too annoying, he put them in their place and sent them off.

"Damn, and I was hoping for a good spar," Kenpachi grumbled. "Been trying to track down Ichigo but he keeps slipping away. Now that is a man who can fight."

"You won't be getting him to fight any time soon," Starrk informed, his protective streak coming to the forefront. "He has been through hell lately, give him a chance to heal." That was as much as he felt safe saying that might impress on the violent captain the seriousness of the matter.

Kenpachi was more fervent than he was anticipating though, "He's had months to pull himself together; a good brawl can knock him back into shape quicker than anything else."

"Look that's not the problem," Starrk added, rubbing at the back of his neck. "If you want to talk to him about it that's fine, but like I said, he won't fight you no matter what you try to provoke him with."

"I might just talk with him, but I can't help trying for a spar, he's one of the best fighters around here." Kenpachi insisted.

"I know he is, but he needs a break," Starrk responded firmly. "I know exactly how strong he is; we helped train him. That also means I know when he's had too much, and that is now."

"Doesn't hurt to try," Kenpachi replied before raising his voice, "Come on Yachiru, we're going to see Ichigo."

As soon as the sentence was out of his mouth he had an overexcited little girl latched onto his shoulder. "Yay!" She exclaimed happily, looking expectantly at Starrk and Lilynette with begging eyes. "Hurry up!" She ordered.

Starrk couldn't help but chuckle at her, he really did like children and she was such an adorable little devil. It was almost impossible for him to not like her.

It did not take long for the Espada to realize just how bad Kenpachi's sense of direction was. Pesquisa came in handy and he found himself glad the power limiter did not seem to affect it all that much.

They found Ichigo working with Shinji in the Squad five office. They were digging through paperwork, letting the old captain figure out just how much Aizen had messed with his system, it was weird, but he actually found it not much different than he left it.

"What brings you here?" Ichigo asked as he caught sight of the unusual grouping.

"Wanted a spar and we were together, so they followed us." Kenpachi explained bluntly, "What do you say, ditch the paperwork and come with me?"

"No," Ichigo immediately refused. "Retsu has still not cleared me to fight you." Which was true enough.

"It's been forever, you look good enough. Come on, fight me!" Kenpachi tried to demand, Shinji rising up to argue, before Ichigo motioned him down.

"I am not going to fight you, that's final!" He insisted forcibly.

Kenpachi's eyes narrowed, he might be violent, but he was not stupid. "Alright, just what is going on here? You're hiding something, and these guys are in on it." He accused, jabbing his hand towards Starrk, meaning the Arrancar in general with the gesture.

"What difference does it make to you?" Ichigo refuted. "All you need to know is I'm not going to spar with you."

Kenpachi was surprised himself at how much that statement stung, "Hey, you think I don't care that something's wrong?"

"It's not like we've done much of anything but fight," Ichigo pointed out, fighting the urge to cover his baby protectively. He was not afraid of Kenpachi per say, but he was not the gentlest of people and if he didn't know to be careful he might hurt the little girl inside him by accident.

"You are one of the few people who has managed to beat me, I respect you for that. Unless you have forgotten I am a captain, I care when it's important. So spill it, what's going on?" He demanded, though the explanation made several people in the room realize they had underestimated him a bit.

It took a minute of frantic internal debate, Junichi adding in his own opinion, "I kinda think we should tell him King."

"Why?" He hadn't expected his Hollow to advise that course of action.

Junichi didn't have a problem answering, "He's serious, this is him caring. You want to keep her safe don't you? If we have Kenpachi on our side that's one more strong fighter protecting her, and it's not like he is all buddy-buddy with the head-captain. I doubt he'd tell on us, at least, not about this."

With Junichi's vote considered, Ichigo decided to go along with his recommendation, "Shinji can you take the others outside for a minute? It's probably a good time to check in with the squad." Which was code for making sure no one was within hearing range while he spoke with Kenpachi.

The older Visored nodded, the only one really protesting the move was Yachiru, but Lilynette's promise of a spar when they were outside was enough to lure her out of the office, leaving Ichigo and Kenpachi alone.

"So you going to tell me now or what?" Kenpachi asked impatiently.

"Just wait a few minutes please, need to give Shinji time to distract everyone," Ichigo requested, moving over to the door and carefully looking outside so no one would see him. The less he looked suspicious the better. When he judged it was safe he started to talk, not quite sure how to do this with someone he didn't know as well as the others. "It's not just you I can't fight, it's too big a risk for me to spar with anyone at all. I'm taking care of someone." He settled on that as a starting point.

"Who? If you're defending someone wouldn't that mean you would fight harder?" Kenpachi was confused and impatient, but willing to listen.

"Not this time," Ichigo corrected before finally being able to put his hand over his daughter. "I'm pregnant," He admitted quietly then added on, "I need to protect my baby, and if we fight she could get hurt."

That brought Kenpachi up short, "You're not just messing with me are you?"

"Why would I lie about something like this?" Ichigo questioned, before opening his Shihakusho to show his cloth wrapped stomach and loosening the bandage. "There, do you see her now?"

Kenpachi did in fact see her, and that prompted him to ask, "How long has it been?"

"Almost four months," Ichigo confessed slowly, knowing Kenpachi would quickly do the rather simple math.

"That means her father is here," Kenpachi observed, confirming Ichigo's assumption.

"Yes, but that is as much as I am willing to say until I have her, and you can't tell anyone about this; she is in a lot of danger. I wouldn't have told you, but my Hollow thought it was a good idea. Please don't make me regret it." Ichigo tried to impress on him just how serious this was.

"I'm not going to hurt your kid, and won't let anyone else either." Once again Kenpachi found himself a bit insulted that Ichigo was so afraid of him, though it wasn't like he couldn't understand; what with the scars and large body. Still, "We need more strong fighters around here and if she is yours I can't see her being anything else."

For Ichigo that was unexpected, but definitely a relief. "Thank you."

"I don't lie about myself, but don't forget, I took Yachiru with me instead of leaving her to grow up in the gutters of blood like I did. I taught her to fight and made her strong." Kenpachi reminded. "I don't hurt kids." He spelled out.

"I didn't think so," Ichigo was quick to assure, "But things happen and I have to keep her safe no matter what. Telling anyone new means trusting them with my daughter's life."

"I know," Kenpachi confessed. "Look, I know how hard it is to tell me, all I'm doing is trying to make you see that you don't have to worry."

"I always have to worry, she's mine, and because of that she will be hated." His blood ran cold at the thought.

"Not everyone will hate her," Kenpachi pointed out. "In case you didn't notice I have a daughter, her name is Yachiru. I raised her, that makes her mine, and only mine. It may not be blood but there are enough people around here who think I don't belong I kind of thought some might try to take it out on her, but they haven't. Personally I think it would have been nice to have a boy running around, but this works too."

Ichigo had never thought of that. He really hadn't. Kenpachi and Yachiru were a family, he understood that now looking back. Kenpachi was right, despite being a Captain he was still on the outskirts, he had fought his way in rather than working his way up like the others were trying. Whether it was jealousy, fear, or envy, he was disliked by many. Ichigo was such a blunt and honest person the idea of fighting a battle that dirty sickened him. To deliberately go after a child was the worst thing a person could do in his opinion, and it was that mindset that had set him up to meet Starrk while he was healing the injured Lilynette.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a scarred hand landing on his should, "Anyone touches her I'll rip them apart." Kenpachi was serious, Ichigo had absolutely no doubt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the pre-written chapters, everything after this will be new material. I hope you enjoy the story the rest of the way through.


	25. Together Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little plot never hurt anyone.

It was a few days later that the first report from the living world came back containing information about the upheaval in Heuco Mundo. Yamamoto once again called together all the Captains, and with the lock down still in place the hybrids had to attend as well. Jyuushiro, as usual, had been the contact for the team in the living world.

"Let us not waste time, has Aizen recovered from the loss of these Espada?" Yamamoto demanded with a gesture to the cluster of Arrancar lounging along the wall of the meeting room, pretending to be engrossed in thoughts while instead they were listening intently to the discussion.

"So far he has managed to find replacements for the Quinto and Sexta spots, the Primera and Octava have yet to be filled." Jyuushiro reported dutifully. "For the Sexta he created an Arrancar named Mabashi. When Mabashi uses his resurrection his appearance is much like a rodent and his power is a bit like a combination of the Seventh Espada's mind control and Szayelaporro's physical takeover, he does not need to touch his opponent to possess them. Since he is new he is raw in fighting ability but very strong so is likely to learn quickly.

"The Quinto position has been filled by an Arrancar named Koga, and he has a Fraccion named Cain. Koga rivals Yammy in size and takes on the appearance of a spider when released, his power is a projectile venom that appears to be a small dart that can freeze his opponent in place like they are caught in a web. He is also especially hard to wound as he has regenerative properties much like Nnoitra and Ulquiorra." When the white-haired captain was finished speaking it took a moment for anything else to be said as the other captains digested the information.

Soi Fon was the first to speak, "Is anything else known about the Fraccion?"

"Unfortunately, no." Jyuushiro informed. "While the Espada are expected to tell the others about their power the only ones with a reason to be concerned about the Fraccion are their individual Espada's. The one already established Fraccion on our side, Ggio, is attempting to get close to Cain but has to be careful not to be too forceful or people may ask questions about why he is so insistent."

Seeing that train of thought was going nowhere, Ichigo felt it was okay to make an observation. "I guess that means Aizen decided not to move Barragan up to become the Primera, tells me he is hoping to find another even more powerful Hollow."

"That's right," Jyuushiro confirmed. "There is also the fact he does not trust Barragan and therefore will not hand over any more control than he already has. The Primera has the power to command the others, he is trying to stall any uprisings before they start. As for the Octava position he is searching for another capable of researching at least near the level of Szayelaporro."

The conversation was interrupted by a short burst of manic laughter from the pink haired former Espada, "Good luck with that." Szayel commented dismissively unable to keep quiet. "Patience is not a trait most of us possess, Aizen will be searching a good long time for someone who can replace me." He preened, having absolutely no humility whatsoever.

"Good, the more time he spends trying to rebuild his forces the better for us," Shunsui responded, both so they could prepare the squads a little more and for the sake of the baby.

"So what is the plan from here?" Byakuya asked. "We have more information, but that doesn't tell us anything about when to expect Aizen to make his move."

Yamamoto already had the answer, "We wait, train, and gather even more information about the enemy." He turned towards the Arrancar again, distain on his face, but even he had to admit they were a good resource. "Your task from here on out is to inform the squads about the warriors you already know, what their powers are and the best ways of defeating them. Since there are only a few of you I have little choice but to lift the restrictions on your movements so you may complete this job for all thirteen squads. The only stipulation I am going to enforce is there can be no more than three hybrids travelling together at any one time without being accompanied by an Officer Lieutenant level or higher. Do you understand?" He laid out.

"Yes," Starrk answered for all of them. "We will train your soldiers as much as they are willing to learn from us."

"They will be expected to cooperate with this arrangement just as much as you are." Yamamoto informed.

"Then I do not see a problem," Starrk responded calmly, knowing Grimmjow and Nnoitra in particular were beyond restless at the constraints and were probably just barely holding themselves back from making some kind of commotion in their relief that they would have their freedom once more. He couldn't blame them, not when Lilynette was practically vibrating with happiness in her spot next to him.

"Are we done here?" Kenpachi demanded impatiently when a few minutes passed in silence.

"For now yes, you are dismissed." Yamamoto allowed, just shaking his head at how rapidly the meeting room was vacated.

As soon as they were out of hearing range Grimmjow burst out, "Finally! I thought we were going to be caged forever." He grumbled.

"Told you it would end," Ichigo needled the panther before getting serious again. "Thank you all by the way for cooperating, I understand it wasn't easy for you but it was the only way of making this work."

"It's alright Ichigo, we know." Starrk responded. "Besides it wasn't like we had a whole lot of freedom under Aizen. We were pretty much locked up in Las Noches, and that many volatile tempers in close quarters definitely had its ups and downs."

"It was similar for us, if we didn't want to get caught we had to be very careful how much time we spent exposed," Shinji added. "I am curious about something though, the Arrancar have a job but Yamamoto said nothing about us." He commented.

"I bet he doesn't know what to do with us yet," Kensei observed. "What he is asking of you is common sense," He was speaking directly to the Arrancar then. "But there really isn't a straightforward task for the Visoreds, other than general training I guess."

"It couldn't hurt," Isshin approved, "At least it would give you something to do."

"Better than sitting around," Kensei agreed. "Haven't had much of a chance to train any one new since Ichigo showed up."

"Thanks for that," Ichigo was both teasing, but totally honest with the comment. He owed the other Visoreds a lot.

Everyone was a bit surprised when Starrk joined the conversation, he normally stayed quiet in big groups preferring just to observe and analyze. "I know the rest of you are looking forward to this, I can't really say the same for myself."

"You really don't like fighting, do you?" Love realized.

"No, I don't." Starrk confirmed. "Even a simple spar in my case can be too much to handle for my opponent, my strength is difficult to control when I am pushed to the point of violence."

"We had a bit of trouble learning our own strength after gaining our Hollows," Shinji admitted. "It didn't help we hated having them, so trying to understand and connect with them was not something we wanted to do."

"Have you made any progress trying to bridge the gap so far?" Szayel asked out of an overdeveloped sense of curiosity. The fact he had stayed together with the group was even more surprising than having Starrk add to the discussion. They had expected him to head back to his shared lab in the Twelfth as soon as he could.

"Not a whole lot," Rose confessed. "I have tried to speak with mine a few times but I am always attacked before I say more than three words. It is going to take a long time before we learn to trust each other.

"I've had some luck, managed to talk a bit between bouts of fighting." Kensei informed. "He is beginning to listen to me, but isn't very forthcoming about himself."

"Mine doesn't attack on sight anymore." Lisa spoke next, just getting her comment over with. "She is easy to provoke though, so I don't stay long."

Hiyori was next, "I'm not much further along than Rose; both our tempers are just too hot." At least she managed to confess that much. It wasn't like she was telling the others anything they didn't already know.

"Mine has mellowed quite a bit," Love contributed. "He doesn't like talking much, but hasn't tried to fight me the last few times I got in contact."

Shinji actually pouted, "My Hollow out and out ignores me, he doesn't fight or talk at all, and if he is listening to me he sure doesn't show it."

"My Hollow allowed me to name her already," Mashiro reported proudly. "I called her Kaori."

"That's great Mashiro! And the rest of you, I'm just glad you're trying," Ichigo informed. "I don't know whether or not it will work since it has been so long, but if you do manage to come to a truce your Hollows can be just as much support as your Zanpakuto."

Their little discussion was interrupted by Kenpachi coming over with a maniacal grin, "Alright who's ready for a fight? Been holding back so didn't piss off the old guy. Follow me if you're in!" He challenged, more than ready to judge the others' power for himself.

Nnoitra and Grimmjow didn't have to think about it, following along with the plan without a moment's hesitation, but Shinji, Kensei, and Ichigo all followed at a slower pace. Upon realizing just how many people were going, and to silence Lilynette's enthusiastic requests, Starrk joined them at the last second.

The Primera used the distraction of the other's roughhousing to speak to Ichigo, "Do you think this is a good idea?"

"Don't know, that's why I'm going," Ichigo admitted. "I know I can't stop them though, so might as well let them go at it and just keep an eye on them."

"That's what I was thinking too," Starrk agreed placidly, looking up at the enthusiastic expressions on his subordinates' faces, "I could stop them if I felt like it, but unless they get too rough, I'm going to let them show off for awhile. Should keep that captain from pestering me." The fact Kenpachi had yet to stop challenging him to sparring matches only increased his desire to give the violent man a different source of amusement.

"You know, one of these days you should just give and see what happens." Ichigo responded lowly, teasing the powerful Arrancar.

He received a steel grey glare. "You know better! I only fought you because I had to. I don't want to kill anyone who doesn't deserve it."

Ichigo tried to hide a smile, "I think you might be making the same mistake as Grimmjow about underestimating the Shinigami. I know there is at the very least three people here that could give you a good work out without you needing to worry about anything except maybe losing."

Starrk arched an eyebrow, "Oh, and who is that? Other than the head-captain anyway?" He was not drawing his sword on Yamamoto, he didn't not trust himself to even try to control his strength. He had heard a little too much about the man to risk losing control.

"I wasn't even thinking about Yamamoto," Ichigo admitted, "And I'm not sure if I should tell you or not, I mean if you really don't want to fight it isn't my place to make you."

Starrk caught the glimmer of humor in Ichigo's eyes, and knew he was being teased, but he couldn't stop himself from replying. "So because I don't want to fight, I can't be curious?"

"So you really wouldn't do anything if I told you?" Actual interest backed up the question.

Starrk had the grace to pause before replying, "Probably not."

"So there is still a chance?" Ichigo looked positively triumphant.

"Why are you so persistent on this?" He asked in exasperation.

Ichigo shrugged with a little smile, "Maybe because I'd like to see you fight too?" He admitted easily.

That brought Starrk up short, "Wait, but you already have seen me fight!" He objected, only to earn a disbelieving stare.

"No I haven't." Ichigo refuted calmly, but firmly, the smile gone. "I know you held back, and considering the circumstances I'm grateful, but I really would like to see what you can do. I wouldn't lie and put you in a spar with someone who I honestly didn't think could handle your strength. I don't want to see an innocent die any more than you want to kill."

The youngest Visored stopped there and waited patiently for the eldest Espada to think it over, and it took the whole trip to the Eleventh before he came to a decision. "Alright, tell me who it is and I might just go along with you, but not in the open like this. I don't want too many people around, they could get caught in the crossfire." With the way Los Lobos worked, anyone watching would be in just as much danger as his opponent.

"I know the perfect place, and the only ones that know about it are the ones we tell, there won't be any surprises." Ichigo was quick to assure, thinking of the cavern he had trained Hanataro and Rikichi in.

Feeling his resistance crumble at the pure excitement, and the actual effort being put towards resolving his concerns, Starrk could only ask, "So who are the people you think I should fight?"

He should have expected the answer, he really should have, considering the confident response was, "Shunsui and Jyuushiro."

"I'm not surprised," Starrk confessed drily, before noticing a discrepancy, "But didn't you say there were three people?"

"I did, and I meant it, but the third hasn't sparred for a very long time. I've never even seen them fight with my own eyes, I just have it on very good authority that they can." Ichigo decided not to pull Retsu into it unless he had her permission, he already knew his loves wouldn't care.

"And are you going to badger them like you did me?" Starrk could read between the lines quite well, picking up on the reason behind the reticence.

This time the smile was rueful, "I don't think I could resist at least bringing it up." Ichigo admitted.

Starrk quieted as he realized the others were already forming a ring around the training arena, big enough to give the sparring pairs enough room to move around. It would be hard to talk between cheers and battle cries, effectively ending the conversation for the moment. A good thing in Starrk's opinion as he had been just about to put his foot in his mouth and tell Ichigo that whoever he was thinking of asking would probably go along without much of a fight. He could be incredibly persuasive when he felt like it. He didn't do empty promises or shameless begging either, instead he did what he could to accommodate worries and concerns; that was an eye for detail Starrk was pleasantly surprised to see developing.

The opening match was between Grimmjow and Nnoitra, to give the former Espada a chance to warm up and, yes, show off. It had been awhile since they could indulge in a spar with each other so they didn't hold back. The watching Shinigami from the Eleventh, drawn by the influx of people in the training yard, found themselves desperately wishing they could see the Arrancar fighting without restrictions.

Kenpachi jumped in to challenge Grimmjow, as Kensei took up Nnoitra's invitation.

The fight between silver haired Visored and black haired Arrancar ended after barely ten minutes. Kensei was fast and agile, but unable to overcome Nnoitra's regenerative skill on top of dodging the massive double crescent Zanpakuto. Any time he landed a blow that actually wounded the Arrancar he would get slashed in return, and if he dodged in time to avoid injury than he couldn't cut deep enough to penetrate Nnoitra's Heirro.

All things considered ten minutes wasn't that bad against the Quinto, when Kensei hadn't even watched him fight before let alone challenged him himself. His head was held high as he back down, giving Shinji a try while obeying Ichigo's beckoning wave.

"It they would have let you use your Hollow more, you might have had him," Ichigo encouraged while resting a hand on Kensei's shoulder, sending healing Kido to soothe the worst of the injuries. He wanted to get in all the practice for the things he was allowed to do as he could, Retsu had cleared him for healing as long as he didn't try to heal something too difficult. Retsu was fully aware Ichigo wouldn't break her trust or risk his daughter by ignoring her warnings, giving her some comfort in the allowance.

"I'll get him next time," Kensei claimed confidently, eying up the Arrancar now putting Shinji through his paces. "Just give me time to get used to the limiter again and I'll beat him."

Ichigo just nodded, but kept his mouth shut. As hard as it was for the Visoreds to adjust, it had to be harder for the Arrancar that had never been under any kind of constraint before beyond Aizen or Starrk's orders. At least the Visoreds had experience with them from their time in the Seireitei before they gained their Hollows. For all the improvement the Visoreds would see as they settled into the new circumstances, the Arrancar would likely see more. Nnoitra would improve at the same or greater rate than Kensei if Ichigo was guessing right. He wouldn't say that out loud though, a bit of rivalry would be good for them. It helped to have a goal to beat when training as Hanataro and Rikichi proved when Ichigo was teaching them.

It was not long before Ichigo was healing yet another Visored and Nnoitra was walking around with a cocky stride, looking towards the audience with an eye for anyone who would try their hand. Even he had to admit though, he wasn't likely to see many takers, for two reasons. One, the way he had put two Visoreds in their place one right after the other made any rational Shinigami shudder. This was the Eleventh, so that of course was not the only thing, which brings up the second reason; Grimmjow and Kenpachi were putting on a show too good to miss out on.

Both were feral fighters that preferred a straight up brawl rather than any fancy battle strategies. Grimmjow had enough practice fighting Nnoitra, and Ulquiorra when he provoked the Cuarta just a little too much, that the former Sexta knew how to penetrate Kenpachi's almost Hollow-like skin. The limiter wasn't holding him back as much as the others, he didn't think as he fought, he just let his body do the work. As long as he didn't get caught up in what he thought he could or couldn't do, he didn't have much holding him back.

Kenpachi was reacting in much the same way, he hadn't taken his eyepatch off, making the battle that much more even. Just like Grimmjow, he wanted his fights fair, it made the victory that much sweeter knowing you had overwhelmed your opponent completely under your own strength without any trickery.

The grins on their bloodied faces were identical as they slashed each other to ribbons. If this was a serious fight to the death Ichigo was sure things would be different, but as it was it looked to him like the two were merely trying to have fun, only their idea of fun involved copious amounts of blood loss.

Starrk decided to comment once more as he watched the fight, "I can see what draws you to Grimmjow if you had already experienced this man's style." He noted.

"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked with narrowed eyes.

"Exactly what it sounded like," Starrk stood by his observation. "You cannot doubt there is a connection between you and Grimmjow. I am not talking about love, that is not the bond you share, but there is a bond."

"You think so, do you?" Ichigo responded grumpily, not taking his eyes off the ongoing spar.

"I know so," Starrk had far too much practice dealing with stubbornness from Lilynette to succumb to Ichigo. "I'd almost say you were friends."

"Ah, Starrk, we are talking about the same guy; aren't we? He's tried to kill me!" Okay so Ichigo was overlooking one very big thing.

That was one thing Starrk refused to let him get away with, "He also saved you, and it's not like you didn't fight him right back."

"It's not like I had a lot of choice," Ichigo snorted, shaking his head.

"Maybe not the fight itself, but are you honestly trying to tell me you didn't enjoy it? Not even a little bit?" The stubborn silence was all the answer Starrk needed. "See? I'd try and console you and say that's your Hollow doing that, but considering I don't like fighting myself not all of us do. That means to me at least some of your enjoyment in battle is coming from you and you alone. Now, doesn't that sound like someone else we know?"

As a bout of familiar laughter broke out from the blue panther, drawing Ichigo's attention, the Visored had to admit Starrk had a point.

By the time Kenpachi and Grimmjow were ready to call it quits a new, and even more unexpected, challenger had arrived for Nnoitra in the form of Isshin. This time the attention of the audience was on the new battle erupting, as Ichigo realized if he wanted to keep his promise to Retsu he could only help stop the bleeding of Grimmjow and Kenpachi; anything further and they would need someone else to take over. It might have just been him, but Ichigo suspected those two didn't care and wouldn't do anything more than shower off the drying blood rather than worry about being healed further.

Seeing his father actually use Engetsu was something different, even for Ichigo. Now that he thought about it, he had never seen Isshin fight before, not seriously anyway. He had a good gauge of Nnoitra's strength by then, so it was relatively simple to get a measure of his father's power when comparing the two.

It was interesting watching the look of frustration encroach on Nnoitra's face. Unlike the Visoreds and other Arrancar that were working on getting used to a power limiter, Isshin was exactly opposite, only recently getting used to having the seal on his powers broken. He might be under the same rules as the other captains, but he still had access to more power than he had handled for a very long time. He used every bit of it to his advantage, proving exactly where Ichigo's instincts and natural talent for fighting came from.

Ichigo watched Isshin beating up Nnoitra with a smile that grew to a grin, and advanced to chuckles, before turning into all out laughter at the definite pout on Nnoitra's face when he landed in the dirt with blood trailing down from a cut on his cheek; in the exact same spot Ichigo himself had cut when Nnoitra had first noticed the baby and used Aizen's hated nickname to tease him.

He gave his father a high-five when the match was over, even allowing Isshin to swing an arm around his shoulders while smirking at the Arrancar moodily dusting himself off.

"That's the second time you've gotten your ass handed to you by a Kurosaki," Grimmjow had no qualms about teasing Nnoitra, the difference in their power was not enough to keep him obedient, hell he barely listened to Ulquiorra and even then only when there was no way around it.

"Second?" Kenpachi asked curiously, neither fighter having left Ichigo's side since the Visored had given the little first aid he was willing to, leaving them close enough to hear the comments being flung between Arrancar.

Grimmjow gestured to Ichigo, "He's done it before too, got his cheek in the same spot too." For it being a spar that wasn't his own, Grimmjow was certainly smug.

"That was on purpose," Isshin acknowledged ruefully, "Wanted to see if I was as rusty as I thought, need a little work, but not as bad as I was afraid of."

"That was you still rusty?" Grimmjow was both impressed and excited.

Isshin shrugged, stroking the hilt of Engetsu protruding from its sheath, "Been a long time since I could fight like this."

"I want a rematch!" Nnoitra growled, finally coming back to his usual arrogance.

"Someday maybe," Isshin hedged, just knowing he was driving the former Espada up the wall and was kind of enjoying the feeling.

"Oh no, I get to challenge him next, you already lost. It's my turn!" Grimmjow claimed, starting a chain of bickering back and forth between himself and Nnoitra.

Isshin didn't see a reason to break them up, so he didn't, and the others followed his lead.

From there several more rounds of sparring broke out, inspired by the blood pumping battles held in the beginning, this allowed Ichigo to tug his father from the circle, and leave them to it. Now that they weren't needed to police the hybrids, Ichigo could do something he had desperately wanted to for a very long time, but hadn't gotten the chance.

He chose Shunsui's squad this time, as Lisa was there to distract the squad if someone got too close, and it was a simple enough thing to invite Jyuushiro over to 'discuss the information from the living world' only the exact topic wasn't quite what Yamamoto would think if the message was overheard.

The minute all four were in the room alone, a silence descended between them. Not frosty or angry, but calm and measuring. They needed a few minutes to read the atmosphere before they could discuss what was needed.

It was Ichigo who spoke first, this was his idea and he would see it through, "I think the four of us have a lot to talk about."

"That's a bit of an understatement," Isshin replied, settling down on the offered matt across from where Shunsui was sitting cross legged with Jyuushiro beside him, Ichigo had stuck next to his father for this conversation. He very much wanted to join in the warm embrace of his loves, but realized he should have his head clear for this.

"Whatever you want to know, just ask," Shunsui encouraged.

Isshin took a deep breath, "Before I ask this I will say that I do trust you, but this is my family, they mean more to me than my own life. You are going to have to tell me, in plain language, what you plan to do about Ichigo and the baby?" If these two were not people he trusted, they would be having something a lot stronger than a conversation about this.

Jyuushiro linked his hand with Shunsui, looking Isshin directly in the eyes, "We will love and protect them. We don't have any rosy thoughts about this ending all sunshine and daises, this will be hard and I am truly sorry that Ichigo will have to deal with that. However, I have never loved anyone more than I do with them. If I could take his place, I would. Believe me, in a heartbeat I would make it so he didn't have to worry about anything."

"I think you have noticed we only talk in plurals about each other, right?" Shunsui took over without giving either Isshin or Ichigo a chance to talk, but he did get a nod of agreement to his query. "That is because when it comes to Ichigo, Jyuu and I think with the same mind. WE love him, and BOTH of us love that little girl as if she were ours. I know you are a powerful healer, feel what is surrounding your granddaughter and you will understand us a little more." He encouraged, remembering the conversation between Starrk and Szayel.

"I already have," Isshin admitted, his lips curving up in a smile in remembrance of the extra shield of protection. Plus he was there when the conversation between Arrancar had occurred as well. "Like I said, I trust you. If I didn't Ichigo would not be in the same world as you; let alone the same room. I just wanted to hear you say it."

"We aren't going anywhere," Jyuushiro assured, Shunsui gripping his shoulder and nodding in agreement, "We will be there every step of the way."

"I know that, but what about when she gets here?" Isshin questioned seriously, "What are you prepared to do then?"

A sorrowful look came on the gentle captain's face, "That is up to Ichigo." He responded softly, needing the reassurance of Shunsui's touch to keep going, reaching up to cover the bigger hand with his smaller one. "We love him, and will do everything we can to keep them both safe, but we know what life would be like here for him and our daughter. Shunsui and I have talked about it, and we want to give Ichigo the choice. Stay here and raise her with us, or go back to the Living World with you and maybe get some peace until she is big enough to help protect herself."

Isshin looked grave, and Ichigo was in tears, bursting out "WHY?! You could come with me! All of us, get away from Yamamoto and raise her until she is safe! We could come back when she has grown up."

"I can't leave," Jyuushiro admitted with pain and rage, "Not for more than a week or so, that is why I am never sent on missions in the Living World. My illness is kept at bay by the Spirit Pressure in the air here, I would die if I spent too long away."

Shunsui drew him into a tight hug, the same position Isshin had taken up with Ichigo, both crying tears of frustration. "I can go with you," He took over, just barely holding back his own emotions. "If you want me to, I will."

"But if you do, Yamamoto probably won't let you back in," Isshin spoke up with his own heart breaking.

Ichigo had his face pressed against his father's shoulder and his arms wrapped around his abdomen, "I just want us to be together."

"There is still the option of staying," Shunsui reminded, keeping control in the hope he could get his loves through the rough times ahead. The words he shared provoked a long look and nod of acknowledgment with Isshin. "We just didn't want you to think that was the only choice. She would be safer in the Living World. That would be much harder to do here."

"I don't care how hard it is, we are staying together!" Ichigo chose fiercely, head raising up to lock gazes with Shunsui. "She is safer with us than anywhere else. Anyone even tries to touch her and I'll kill them." He said with such finality, no one was willing to argue with him.

The topic would not be forgotten so easily, none of them were that naïve, but for now they decided to focus on calming down from the emotional high.


	26. Make A Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To the delight of those waiting for her, someone decide to make her presence felt.

Chapter Twenty-Six  
Make a Move  
The first time Ichigo felt it he had been lying in bed trying to fall asleep. It was a light brush, almost like someone had thrown a cotton ball at his insides. He was excited and hopeful, but when the little presence didn’t return he drifted off to sleep with his hand over his daughter and a smile on his face.  
The second time was a lot like the first, except this time he was working with Shinji in the office again. He had found a comfortable way to sit and was working away diligently; that was until the tiny puff brushed against his senses again. In the same place as the last time, only lasting a little longer and was a bit stronger.  
It wasn’t a surprise that Shinji noticed something odd was happening, considering Ichigo had just lit up like a light bulb, “Alright, what’s so exciting? I kind of doubt you are getting that worked up over progress reports.”  
Since he didn’t know who might be in hearing distance, he just put his hand on his slowly expanding stomach and rubbed; trying to convey it was the baby and hoping Shinji would figure it out.   
The huge grin spreading over the blonde Visored did a good job in persuading Ichigo that; yes, he had gotten the message.  
He could barely believe it, she was moving, he could finally feel her and have proof of the new life growing in him. He was so awed that all he could do was lean back and feel, waiting for the brush to come back. He slipped a hand into his Shihakusho; held low beneath the desk so no one could really see what he was doing if they came into the office unexpectedly.   
The hand held over his daughter just confirmed what the mirror told him every morning, his abdomen was now a smooth expanse of tightly stretched skin. He had no muscle definition anymore and was starting to protrude out into a true curve. Still unnoticeable beneath his loose Shihakusho as long as he bound his abdomen the way Retsu had taught him, but when he took the bandage off to sleep it was impossible to miss that he had a baby resting under his heart. At least in his own opinion anyway.   
And now she was moving and getting so big he couldn’t deny her presence. The movement was soft and tentative, but there all the same. He just wanted her out where he could see and hold her; keep her safe from any harm. As he grew larger he knew his ability to fight would suffer and she would be safer born where he would have access to all of his skill. No matter how many people, or how often, he was told not to worry about keeping her safe with the sheer amount of people rooting for her he just couldn’t help it. She was his daughter and it was his job to protect her.   
“What do you say we take a break and get some fresh air?” Shinji’s voice cut through Ichigo’s inner monologue and Ichigo had to appreciate just how good of an actor he could be considering his voice was no different from any other day despite the still present grin.   
“That sounds good, we have done quite a bit today already,” Ichigo was completely willing to play along if it gave him an excuse to get out of there and start tracking down interested parties.   
It was safer to make impromptu visits to Jyuushiro’s squad. Since he was housed there after his return from Hueco Mundo they had a valid reason for getting along well and wanting to meet up, and now they had the additional excuse of Ichigo needing to check up on Grimmjow and since he was right up there with Nnoitra in terms of destructive power it made sense to look in on him often.   
Though he got side tracked on the way from the Fifth when he passed by the Ninth and saw his father out in the training yard surrounded by young soul reapers watching him spar with Shuuhei. He couldn’t resist making a detour inside, it wasn’t like he had seen Isshin fight very often, at least not like this anyway.   
Kensei was already out watching the fight, Mashiro nowhere in evidence for the moment, so Ichigo decided to go over to the older Visored and watch with him.   
The fight between current Lieutenant and former Captain was engaging enough that Ichigo and Kensei didn’t speak after acknowledging the other. Ichigo recognized immediately what his father was up to, he was teaching. Pushing Shuuhei just a little harder than he looked comfortable with, but in a way that was also safe and informative for the squad members observing the spar.  
When Ichigo had been young, this was the same way Isshin had taught him and it brought a nostalgic smile to his face. Those memories would always be shadowed by pain, since father and son had used those lessons as an escape from the reality of Misaki’s death, but Ichigo wouldn’t give them up. They helped shape him into who he was now.  
Towards the end of the fight, when both combatants were worn down and nearly ready to quit, Kensei spoke. “Is there a reason he refuses to use his Shikai; do you know?” Kensei did remember Shuuhei from all that time ago, though he had been surprised to have left such an impression on the young boy that he got a permanent reminder tattooed onto his face where everyone could see.   
“No, I don’t,” Ichigo responded, not having realized it until it was brought up, but come to think of it he had never seen the dark haired Lieutenant’s Shikai in all the time he was fighting an recovering in the Soul Society. “He would probably answer you if you asked, he idolizes you.”  
“Even now?” Kensei asked with a raised eyebrow.   
Ichigo nodded, “You didn’t see him when the squads were deciding who would go where; he practically begged that you and Mashiro come back to the Ninth. Dad stood up for him just to make sure it happened that way.”  
Kensei looked contemplative, “I guess I should do something to repay him then. I didn’t think it still ran that deep.”  
“All he really wants is your attention,” Ichigo advised with confidence. “Show interest in him and I am willing to bet he would do anything you asked; including answering questions about how his Zanpakuto works.”   
“Doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Kensei realized, “I take it you know him pretty well then?”  
“I know the Lieutenant of the Third a little better but Izuru and Shuuhei are close friends, whenever he had time we met up to practice together.” Ichigo informed.   
“Then I’ll listen to you on this one I guess.” Kensei decided.   
Ichigo just had to smile, still in a really good mood, “You’re going to make his decade.”  
Their conversation had to cut off there because Isshin had caught sight of Ichigo’s shockingly orange hair and was coming over to them with Shuuhei in toe. “What brings you here?” Isshin asked, too tired for his usual high energy greetings which was a lucky fate for Ichigo.  
“I was on my way to check on Grimmjow and saw you fighting, thought I’d stay and watch.” Ichigo explained, before switching focus to Shuuhei. “How’d it go?”  
“He’s a great teacher but I doubt I’ll be moving much for the rest of the day,” Shuuhei admitted, still breathing heavy and soaked with sweat though someone Ichigo recognized as his Third seat brought him and Isshin towels before backing away to give the group of four a chance to talk.   
“Nah, you’ll be fine in a few hours,” Isshin refuted, “you’ve got quite a bit of stamina, you must spar a lot.”  
“Whenever I have the time,” Shuuhei admitted. “I need to set a good example until we get a permanent Captain back.”   
That gave Kensei an opening, “I noticed you didn’t use your Shikai, why?” He inquired with interest.  
Shuuhei paused a moment, the internal debate plain to see on his face, but he did eventually answer, "I don’t like my Shikai, it just looks evil to me; like I’m supposed to do nothing but kill. I use it as little as possible, and I do my best to keep it that way.”  
“You do know we are heading into a war right?” Kensei responded incredulously, not expecting that kind of reason.   
Shuuhei nodded, “I do, and I realize I will probably need it sooner or later, I’d just rather it be much, much, later.”  
“Look none of us like killing; some of us happen to be very good at it, but that doesn’t mean we get any enjoyment out of it. The more you practice and hone your skill the less you need to worry about hurting someone you don’t intend to. It is noble to keep a weapon so dangerous under wraps, but don’t keep yourself from it too or you will just be opening yourself up to massive amounts of collateral damage.” The Visored had experience, both as Captain and warrior, he had faith in his words and that carried over into his tone of voice lending credence to his opinion.  
“I can kind of see where you are coming from, but I don’t know, it’s a habit I’ve had ever since I discovered my Shikai; I’m not sure I can fight it.” Shuuhei’s desire to obey his idol was warring with his own ideals. Though the just next to hero worship he still held towards Kensei had him leaning in the direction of believing him.  
“Just trust me on this one, don’t be so afraid of yourself you give up on what makes you strong. I will train you myself if you’d like if that would make it easier on you?” The offer was made thanks to the Visored’s newfound knowledge of the Lieutenant courtesy of Ichigo. Plus he liked teaching and hadn’t had a student with as much potential as a Lieutenant had to have in a very long time.   
“You really would?” The sheer amount of hope radiating from Shuuhei was enough for Ichigo to need to suppress his chuckles, and from the way his father’s shoulders were shaking he was pretty sure Isshin was doing the same thing.   
“Yeah, remember part of our deal with Yamamoto was about teaching, he didn’t say we couldn’t work with the higher officers, so why not?” Kensei really didn’t care about Yamamoto all that much; as long as they stayed out of each-others way he could live and let live for now; but he needed some way of making Shuuhei think there was more behind the decision than the way he came across as a love struck puppy; you could practically see the tail wagging behind the Lieutenant.   
Ichigo recovered enough from his brush with laughter to add on, “Plus if the others see you two working together well it might help them feel more comfortable working with all the hybrids. It couldn’t hurt anyway.”  
“You know, I think you’re onto something,” Isshin realized, mind quickly analyzing the half-formed thought and bringing it together. “I think that’s what each of you should be doing. Pick at least one high-profile student to teach and be very obvious about it. That way observers would get a taste of each style without putting themselves on the line against a complete unknown.”  
“Shuuhei, you know more about the current officers, do you think something like that would work?” Ichigo realized they had a great resource right with them; it would be a wasted opportunity not to get his opinion on the plan.   
“Yes,” Shuuhei didn’t have to think about it, “Actions speak louder than any words, no matter who is asking. If they could see what you are wanting to teach us then I think you would have a much better chance of getting the majority to go along with the orders.”  
“Ichigo, you are the one in charge of us, how do you want to go about starting this? One big meeting, or squad by squad?” Kensei asked with a mind towards the logistics of actually pulling something like that off.   
“Let’s get it over with in one big meeting, I can set it up for this weekend if you think that would work out?” Ichigo decided. “I’ve always wondered how to work Hell-Butterflies; this could give me an excuse to learn.”   
“I’ll teach you,” Isshin offered, “And the weekend should be fine. Captains almost always leave a little wiggle room on those days for things that come up on the fly; at least they always used to and I don’t see that changing.”  
“It hasn’t,” Shuuhei assured. “Even Izuru and I who ran our squads without a Captain were told to leave open time then.”  
“Then that’s what I’ll aim for,” Ichigo responded, glad things seemed to be moving along. Also he was even more excited when Isshin and him split away to carry on the lesson where they would have less distraction; and conveniently less distraction also meant less of a chance at being over heard. So when he was finally alone with his dad in his room, Ichigo spoke up, “She started moving.”   
Despite his evident tiredness Isshin still managed to hug him so hard he was nearly knocked over; the tight hold around his shoulders the only thing keeping him upright. “Really?!” He asked excitedly.   
“Lemme go,” Ichigo demanded, slowly managing to wriggle free, “And yes, I think so anyway. It’s really light, but I don’t think it could be anything else; I’ve never felt something like this before.”   
“What’s it feel like?” Isshin asked curiously, settling a hand over Ichigo’s bandaged abdomen. There was little chance the baby was strong enough to be felt from the outside, but he could still feel her comforting aura nonetheless.   
“Like I said, I’m not sure how to describe it. Nothing feels quite like this. It kinda feels like she’s throwing cotton balls at me, but that’s about as close as I can get to it.” Ichigo tried to answer, he really did.  
Isshin rubbed his hand over the little curve again, “Yeah sounds like it’s her. Your mother told me the same thing anyway when you started kicking. She’s got to be a little bigger before any of us can feel her though; I can’t wait. Have you told Shunsui or Jyuushiro?”  
“Didn’t have the chance, was on the way to tell Jyuushiro when I saw you. I don’t think they would mind someone else knowing first as long as it’s you. I wouldn’t have told anyone, but this was too good a chance to pass up.”   
“I think they’ll understand, plus all of this is your choice. Who to tell and who to keep it from, we are all taking our lead from you.” Isshin reminded. “You’ve barely told anyone you’re showing and I’d imagine you’re going to let fewer people know she’s getting this strong.” Isshin knew his son better than anyone, he had the best guesses for what was going through that head of his.   
“I don’t want to give anyone the chance to hurt her, the fewer people I tell the less likely someone will find out that might turn us in.” He couldn’t suppress the shudder running down his spine at the thought and he wrapped an arm around his abdomen.   
“Easy,” Isshin pulled him into his side, holding him tight, not wanting to dislodge his son’s arm from over the baby. “It’s going to be alright. You are both doing so well, and she is proving to you now just how strong she is. We have to prepare for people to start finding out about her, but we will keep you safe. I will do everything in my power to keep her hidden and when that is no longer possible I will fight to the death for you two; and I am not the only one. I have an idea that might work, but the longer we wait to put it in place the better for you and her.”  
“What is it?” This was the first time one of his speeches about hope had something solid backing it up; and that made Ichigo take notice even when he was so scared for his coming daughter.  
“An old device used by the Shihoin family to train its member in times of crisis, it could buy us some time, but only externally. You would endure all of it in real time; it would only seem faster to those of us outside the influence of the device. That would mean months of solitary confinement plus if anything does go wrong with her, which I don’t see happening but you never know, we wouldn’t find out about it for a while. That’s why I said it would be better to not to use it until you were as far along as we could safely hide. The longer the better.” Isshin had been keeping this information under wraps just so his son wouldn’t jump into it too quickly, it would be both mentally taxing and physically dangerous for both him and the baby to go too long unchecked.  
“How would we know when the right time would be?” Ichigo followed everything, including the unsaid part about why it took so long before his father had told him anything about it.  
“Easy, we take action as soon as someone who doesn’t already know starts noticing her. I know about the club Shunsui and Jyuushiro run, use that it would be safer, just ask if the members noticed anything different. It would give them a hint at least that something has changed but hopefully won’t draw attention to the exact problem unless it is truly visible.” Isshin had been debating over and over, but with this newest development they were rapidly approaching the crisis point. As careful as they had been to hide her, she was very determinedly undermining all that work.  
“We could combine the plan to get the hybrids working together with seeing those people again, it wouldn’t look suspicious to invite the higher officers, and all the club members are at least seated if not higher.” Considering the discussion hovered around his daughter, if he was willing to discuss her then he felt it was safe to mention that one identifier towards club membership.   
“So you want to open up the hybrid assignments to all officers?” Isshin asked for clarification, “Or just those in the club?”  
“It would have to be an open invitation at the start, but if any are part of both we could ask them to stay behind. With the Hell butterflies is it possible to send a message that no one else can hear except who it was intended for?” That was one hitch to his plan.  
“There is, but doing that is suspicious in its own right. Then you are opening that person up to questions on why they would be receiving a secret message, especially if they are on the middle to low end of seated ranking.” Isshin warned. “If someone is curious enough to start digging it could spell trouble.”  
“I know, but we are kind of running out of options here. She is growing really fast, and I’m happy she is strong, but it will make things unpredictable. At this point I’m not even sure we’ll make it to the weekend without getting caught, much less longer.” Ichigo was starting to panic again and it was only his father’s soothing touch that kept him from completely losing it.   
“Like I said, it’s going to be alright. What I suggest doing is sending out individual Hell Butterflies to each Officer, that way o one will look too out of place. In the ones not intended for club members just say it is to keep general members out of the way; there is going to be enough chaos with just those coming as it is. That way anyone getting a Butterfly with more information won’t be noticed, we could tell them to act natural.” Isshin had been making and executing plans for a lot longer than his son had, and realizing that helped Ichigo gain control over himself again.  
“Do you really think something so simple will work?” Ichigo was calming down, but still unsure.  
Isshin nodded, “I know it will. We will be treating this like hiding a needle in a haystack. If there are so many messages going out people won’t be able to figure out which ones are different.”  
“So how exactly do I make one?” Ichigo got back on track to the thing they were actually supposed to be doing.   
“You’ve been practicing Kido right?” Isshin already knew the answer since even with his son right beside him he couldn’t feel the power he knew lurked under the shield; he still wanted to get the reassuring nod though before continuing. “Good, you will need it, because we do not make the butterflies, we summon them. The body of the butterfly is nothing more than pure spirit particles gathered together, we use our power to basically record what we want to say on them and give them any information they would need to deliver it; such as only letting the person addressed hear it. The more complicated the task the harder it is to make one, which is why I’m going to suggest you have someone help you send out the messages if you are going to contact all Officers. I’ll help, and you can bet Jyuushiro and Shunsui would be willing to do the same. You three would know the best way of phrasing the ones with special instructions anyway so I would be the one concentrating on the others.”   
“Whatever I have to do, I’ll do it,” Ichigo found the determination he needed, glad all the stress and fear hadn’t stolen it from him, though he had motivation in the form of his daughter’s first kicks. He would not let her down.  
“Alright, then here is how it’s done.” Isshin responded with a pleased grin, launching into the lesson that took the better part of an hour to complete, but by the end he had sent a butterfly to Shunsui telling him to meet at Jyuushiro’s. After that he left his father’s side to go meet up with his loves, unable to wait a moment longer to tell them.  
Thanks to the loosening of restrictions on the Arrancar Jyuushiro did not have to stay in the vicinity of Grimmjow, so the white-haired captain managed to sneak by Sentaro and Kiyone, telling them he needed to rest a bit back at his family home, and the three of them were finally truly alone for the first time in months.   
They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. It felt so good to touch and hold on without the fear of being discovered or the need to keep things proper in the presence of others. The urge to ravish one another was too strong to fight, and with all the new changes happening to Ichigo’s body the older two couldn’t resist exploring him first.   
Shunsui was behind him, attacking his neck and jaw with needy kisses, making Ichigo toss his head to the side to give him room. Not to be outdone Jyuushiro was the one slowly opening his Shihakusho, pale lips trailing over and around tanned and toned skin. That was until the cloth hiding their daughter showed itself. With happiness and pride the two captains helped divest the younger of the final bit of obstruction in order to see what their love had made.   
They laid him back gently against the soft futon, Shunsui on his left, Jyuushiro on the right; each had taken one of his hands and used the other to rub over their little girl. The twin touches causing an aching warmth to settle in Ichigo’s chest, making him feel like his heart was going to burst.   
“She’s getting so big,” Jyuushiro was the first to comment, leaning down to kiss his cheek.  
Only for his lips to be replaced by Shunsui’s, “And strong too.” He added.  
Ichigo’s face lit up with joy, “I came here tonight because I felt her move, just a little, but it’s her.”   
Pulled into a tight three way hug, he didn’t know whose hands were where, and at that point it didn’t matter. All he heard was happy laughter and excited words spoken so quickly he didn’t hear exactly what was said; only that both his loves were happier than he had ever seen before. He had a feeling they would keep breaking that record as their baby was born and grew up.  
“Our little treasure is finally showing herself,” Shunsui commented in excitement, the first to speak after the announcement.   
Jyuushiro brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead, “How are you handling it?”  
“I’m both happy and terrified, but dad had an idea and I think it will work,” Ichigo quickly explained his father’s idea about when and how to use the device he’d gotten from Yoruichi.   
“Can you handle that, being alone for so long?” Jyuushiro asked carefully, both sets of arms holding him tightened considerably though.   
“If it’s for her I will do anything, I just want to get her born and safe, but dad thinks it’s still too early. We want to make it another two weeks at least, get me about half-way there. Any longer and it would take too much power to maintain the shield and put her at risk if something goes wrong. If I make it to twenty weeks then any major problems should be found by then.” Not including actually having her, but they’d cross that bridge when they got to it.   
“I think Isshin is right,” Shunsui supported the idea. “We want the both of you to come through as best you can, too long alone and you could get lost in your own mind. We don’t want that. Though in your case you might have some protection against long term isolation because you have both Junichi and Zangetsu, they could help distract you.”  
“I know they can because they already had to,” Ichigo reminded, “When Aizen had us in Hueco Mundo, all we really had was each other as a distraction from the humiliation.” He hated to think it, but his capture had prepared him well for what lay ahead.   
“How about we do the distracting while we still can?” Shunsui enticed, wanting to get Ichigo nice and relaxed again. Yes this topic was important, but so was keeping Ichigo calm, happy, and comfortable.   
Ichigo surrendered himself over to their ministrations, enjoying both being taken and doing the taking. He didn’t have much experience, but didn’t need to in order to know he was lucky. Every time was different and new with these two, they knew how to make his body sing in ways he never thought possible.   
They brought out a side to him that only ever surfaced when he fought, something primal and wild, burning of hot he could barely contain it. He was almost insatiable with need now that he had both willing and able to oblige him. Worried about the weight and if they might hurt the baby, Ichigo straddled Shunsui, with Jyuushiro helping to settle and guide him into place for such a bold move. The groan of pleasure so deep it sounded almost painful told the youngest of the group he was doing just fine.   
Shunsui’s broad hands came up to grip his hips, pulling him down, rocking up inside him. The feel of that had Ichigo seeing stars, centuries of practice giving the older man an edge in finding the right places. Jyuushiro added his own fuel to the fire, coming up behind Ichigo, wrapping his arms around to stroke and rub at his chest while hissing and nibbling the backs of his shoulders. Jyuushiro and Shunsui so in sync with each other their movements perfectly combined to make Ichigo lose his mind; unable to think of anything but them.   
He didn’t last long, the torrent of sensation taking its toll on a mostly inexperienced body, and he soon collapsed breathless and spent sprawled across Shunsui’s body with Jyuushiro sliding in beside them, wrapping his arms around the both of them.   
Almost without thought two hands found their way to the curve of Ichigo’s stomach, while little kisses peppered his face from both sides. “I love you,” Ichigo spoke, breathless, but unprompted and completely of his own will.   
“I love you too,” Jyuushiro answered first, kissing his temple.  
“Don’t forget me, I love you too.” Shunsui added with a grin, his kiss landing on the side of Ichigo’s neck.  
“She’s going to be okay, right?” Ichigo couldn’t help but ask, as he felt another gentle brush from his baby; he took it to mean their little one was happy.  
“Yes, and she’ll be here before you know it, only a little more and we can see her,” Jyuushiro affirmed, tightening his arm around them.   
Shunsui gathered silver hair away from brilliant green eyes and laid a kiss on his first love’s brow, “I wonder if she’ll look like you.”  
“I don’t know Shun, I think she’s going to look like you,” Jyuushiro responded with a light, happy, laugh.   
“You two really don’t mind? I mean about not knowing,” It was impossible to turn away from them with how they were laying, but Ichigo did the next best thing and squeezed his eyes shut.  
That was until he felt two kisses land on his lips one right after the other, “Ichigo, she is ours. I love her, and I put no conditions on that.” Shunsui assured. “I’ve told you before and I’ll say it again; she is mine and I will always love her.”  
“I feel the same,” Jyuushiro added. “This baby is ours. I refuse to treat her or you any different if she happens to be a brunette. I love her Ichigo, just as much as you and Shunsui. My baby or his I am not going anywhere.”   
Before Ichigo knew it there were tears in his eyes he couldn’t explain if he tried, so he didn’t; he just let his loves kiss away the moisture and bring him back to peace with their touch. His love for them was so deep he felt like he was drowning, but with their words and actions, they made him unafraid to fall. It was a nice feeling knowing there would be someone to catch him when he did.


	27. Don't You Worry Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trust is a two way street, and it's time for the people around Ichigo to prove themselves.

"Everything's ready for today isn't it? I mean we haven't forgotten something, right?" Ichigo was taking several long deep breaths in order to keep himself calm; it was working for the most part but he didn't know how long he could keep it up. There were just so many things that could go wrong and he was panicking again.

Jyuushiro just held him a little tighter, he could use a bit of extra comfort himself, and spoke reassuringly. "The butterflies have been sent out to all Officers, Lieutenants, and Captains like we planned and everyone willing to meet about pairing up with a hybrid in order to train and gain some measure of trust in the general Shinigami are gathering as we speak. Also Shun and I managed to send out the extra instructions to the people still in the Seireitei from the club that may be able to help with your father's plans of keeping our little girl safe, and anyone who both agrees to train with a Visored or Espada and is in the Club will stay after the general meeting to talk it over. Oh, and just to be clear, they do not know why we asked them to stay if they agreed to train with a hybrid. Between you and me I think they are likely to volunteer for the spots; we do not ask things of our members lightly; so when we do they know it is important."

Considering they were talking about their daughter, it had to be safe for questions finally, "As long as they do it by choice and aren't being forced I know we need all the help we can get, but tell me please, exactly which ones might be staying?"

Jyuushiro answered without hesitation, knowing Ichigo used knowledge to combat panic, and he was actually fairly good at it when people gave him the chance. "All of the ones you met before when you were here plus Byakuya, Sajin, Rukia, and Rangiku. In other words, the only one you are not as familiar with is Rangiku and I do believe you spent time with her when she was stationed in the Living World with Toushiro, so even then not a complete unknown or I wouldn't have risked her either despite my trust. This is more about what makes you comfortable than either myself or Shunsui and neither of us blame you, we understand how hard this is for you."

Another steadying breath, "Okay, and of those people who do you think is most likely to volunteer for the training?"

The long running Captain didn't need as long to think on it as some others might have, just because he was well acquainted with the people he was talking about, "Sajin, Renji, Izuru, we already know Shuuhei, and Nanao; anyone else would be a little bit of a surprise but not completely unexpected since to become seated in the first place you have to spend a good amount of time in the training yards; with the exception of the Fourth but even then it is not a good idea to underestimate them as you discovered when you learned just how difficult an art Healing is."

Even with all the stress Ichigo had to smile, "I would never have made that mistake from the moment I met Retsu."

"I always did admire your instincts," Jyuushiro was more than happy to tease with a quick kiss before they had to leave. If they were much later they would start drawing attention and people might ask questions they didn't want to answer.

This particular gathering was too large for everyone to fit inside the first division barracks itself, so they were outside in the training yard lined up in neat rows; people still filtering in so it didn't look too odd that Ichigo and Jyuushiro came in together.

The Captains were waiting in the front facing the gathering squads, with the Espada and Visoreds lined behind them. Jyuushiro calmly took his place beside Kurotsuchi, while Ichigo stood tensely between Starrk and Kensei. This was one time he was standing in full view for exactly what he was, it was the most appropriate course considering the circumstances.

Even his daughter was worked up, he could feel her squirming around while they waited for the rest of the Soul Reapers to get there. The sheer amount of paranoia that went into hiding her that morning told him she was well concealed but all the same the urge to drop a hand down to calm her was huge, but the need to protect her would always win out. He somehow managed to keep still and refused to fidget no matter that it felt like his baby was learning how to do back flips; though that was probably just his imagination since she was still so little.

Yamamoto, who of course would not be left out of such a large gathering, started things off when it appeared that there would be no more people trickling into the training arena. All together there was about half the officers for the squads, not a bad turn out considering what this was about. "This meeting has been called together on the word of our new allies, that such an action would be a benefit to our preparations to face the traitor Aizen. Substitute Kurosaki has requested to be allowed to explain further and thus I hand proceedings over to him." They had decided to use Ichigo to explain the plan as he truly did bridge the gap as one of the only members of both worlds that still held the trust of both. He was the best choice for spokesperson.

Plus, as he strode forward so the gathered Shinigami could see him, Ichigo had to acknowledge this part of the day was by far the easy part. "By now you all have met and probably at least briefly spoken to the hybrid your squad has played host to since we arrived, what we are proposing now is to take that a step further. Head-Captain Yamamoto has asked the former Espada to inform the squads what Aizen's forces are like and how it will be fighting against fully formed Arrancar; and they are fully prepared to do that. They, and the Visored's like myself, are asking for volunteers that wish to be trained by us. To learn our ways of fighting and prove we can be trusted; we asked that high level officers come today because we felt if you agreed to do this than it would go a long way towards easing the fears of the general squad members. Are there any questions before I ask for volunteers?"

"How much time will this take away from duties?" Nanao asked very practically.

Ichigo just had to smile at her, having grown used to her in the course of spending time at the Eighth, "Only as much as you can safely spare. We know there is a lot happening within the squads during this stressful time, especially those shorthanded by the mission in the Living World. We will fit this training around your schedules not the other way around."

Shuuhei called out next, eyes locked on Kensei, "Do we get a choice in who we work with?"

"Of course!" Ichigo was quick to assure. "Both the Shinigami and the hybrid have to agree on the pairing. It is safer and better to work with someone you approve of or you risk getting hurt because you don't listen to your teacher."

"Do we only work with one, or can we switch around if we'd like?" Renji asked curiously, finding himself getting more pumped up the longer he thought about it. He might be in the Sixth now, but he was Eleventh squad at heart. He loved battle.

That hadn't been something they previously discussed, so Ichigo had to glance back at the others for a few permissive nods before he could answer. "Yes, at least some of us would be willing to move around."

A gruff voice cut through the questions, "Alright, stop this petty crap, how do we sign up?" Kenpachi of course. Patience was not his strong suite, especially not under these circumstances.

"Anyone who wants to work with a hybrid can stay here and we will match you up; if there are more than the number of Visoreds and Arrancar wishing to be trained than we may double up; that shouldn't be a problem. If you don't want to do this, we won't force you and you're welcome to leave now, this is in no way required of you." Ichigo explained.

Slowly the number of people in the courtyard dwindled down as people made their choice, Ichigo keeping an eye out for the ones on Jyuushiro's list. He wasn't surprised to note his love was right with his estimate in who would definitely volunteer; but the toss-ups were interesting and thinking on them was a handy distraction for the moment so he didn't dwell on telling them about the baby happily kicking away inside him again. Ichigo knew he should really pay attention to all the assignments, but there was time to worry about that later, for now he was more concerned with just the people he needed to talk to later.

It was easiest to pair off the Visoreds. No matter how well behaved the Arrancar had been the Visoreds had once been Shinigami themselves and were inherently more trusted than the truly alien race. Ichigo had faith this path would go a long way towards changing that, but as the one with the most intimate knowledge with just how vicious Hollows could be in the course of his imprisonment he didn't blame the Shinigami for being wary.

Nanao was paired with Lisa, current and former Lieutenants that shared a history so intertwined it bore exploring. The elder of the two was very interested in seeing how the tiny Soul Reaper she'd been forced to leave behind had grown up, so far she liked what she saw but was saddened by how serious the young one had become. She hoped it wasn't her fault, that Aizen's trick hadn't darkened another life without them knowing it. All she could do now though was try to help her find the light now.

Renji had trouble deciding which hybrid to train with first, they all had so much to offer, but in the end he chose to work with Love to start with. He wanted to learn more about Visoreds. In helping Ichigo train Rikichi and Hanataro he'd gotten a taste for that brand of hybrid and it left him curious to know more. He also didn't doubt if he wanted to pick a fight with one of the former Espada he'd be more than able to, so he wasn't too worried about missing out on that side either.

It was obvious that nothing could have pried Shuuhei away from Kensei no matter who tried. That boy had it bad, and the Visored didn't have much of a problem obliging the younger Soul Reaper now that he realized the hero worship was still intact. If there was anything that could get through to him and help ease Shuuhei's worries over his Shikai's form, it was Kensei. They needed all the powerful fighters they could get, not ones too conflicted to use it.

The last of Jyuushiro's predicted volunteers to be paired with a Visored was Captain Komamura. He paired off with Shinji after discussing it with several of them. This was not something he just wanted to jump into. He worried about losing control of his strength and hurting his training partner. When training his Squad members as Captain he was in charge of the situation and could put a stop to a fight when he felt himself slipping, in this case it would be the hybrid in charge and they wouldn't have much warning if he lost it. Half-hollow or not, he would always be concerned that he might harm someone that didn't deserve it. Of the ones he talked to Shinji seemed the most understanding of his worries and the most willing to deal with him as an equal, not just brush him off. He knew the others probably didn't mean it the way he took it, but if they didn't take his warnings seriously he might hurt them unintentionally. Shinji had learned with Ichigo that if someone is truly afraid of their strength; there might just be a reason for it. It had taken all eight of the Visoreds to pin down Junichi the first time Hiyori had succeeded in dragging him out in their presence.

This left the Espada to be paired off, and while Ichigo had been prepared to double up on Visoreds to make everyone comfortable, people kept volunteering.

"Don't forget about me," Izuru reminded from between Renji and Shuuhei, as his friends were already paired off and things had come to a standstill as they realized who was left. "I don't mind being trained by an Arrancar, if one of you wants to work with me?" He offered with his heart beating in his throat. He was being trusted with the leadership of his squad, he needed to set a good example; if he had to take the bull by the horns to do that he would.

To his credit the only sign of nervousness he gave was widened eyes as Grimmjow stalked forward, measuring him up. "You've got guts, I like that." Aqua eyes scanned over the Lieutenant smoothly. "I'll take you on Kid."

Izuru attempted to calm his racing heart as he responded as evenly as he could manage, "Alright, I'll train with you."

A wide excited grin, "Good choice." Grimmjow laughed, receiving an elbow to the ribs and a glare from Ichigo to calm down before he scared the Shinigami off. They were supposed to be gaining their trust, not terrifying them. Though Ichigo could admit to himself that was more than likely to come later when the Soul Reapers actually saw what they could do, but that was out of his control.

Now that all of Jyuushiro's predictions had come true, it was time to see who else had stayed, and it started with the least likely person Ichigo would have ever thought would willingly agree to work with a Hollow, hybrid or not. "I will work with an Arrancar, but please, not one of your more violent ones. I am trying to get used to Hollows, but it will take some time." Rukia spoke slowly, but seriously. Keeping her ground, not sounding like a victim, but someone in recovery. Ichigo couldn't have been prouder. Like him she had been hurt deeply by the past, Kaien's death had scarred her forever, but this was something she needed in order to heal. He knew it, just like he had needed to confront Grand Fisher about his mother before he could move on.

"I'll do it." This was a voice even Ichigo hadn't heard much. It was Tesra, Nnoitra's Fraccion. "I am a Fraccion, not an Espada, by our nature we are more subservient than warlike. I can fight, but that is not all I am like Master Nnoitra wishes he could be; he simply loves a good battle. I would be willing to work with you and show you there is more to us than fighting if Master Nnoitra allows me to take a student of my own." He spoke easily and respectfully, like Ichigo would expect of a servant. Then again from what he understood of his relationship with Nnoitra the two of them were more like Master and Servant than some of the other Espada and Fraccion; there was a wide range of relationships involved with the dynamic from the father and daughter aspect of Starrk and Lilynette to the almost pet like quality of Yammy and Kukkapuro.

"I don't give a damn so long as you don't get in my way," Nnoitra waved off immediately, as all eyes had immediately flown towards him when his subordinate had thrown the proverbial ball into his court.

Rukia had been eyeing up the Fraccion during the short exchange, and with an encouraging nod from Ichigo, she responded. "I'll work with you then. I do want to see what you can do and think this is worth doing, so thank you."

"It's no problem, gives me something to do," Tesra responded with a little smile, he'd been bored to death since he didn't like attracting attention for the most part. That was Nnoitra's gig, not his.

"Yeah, well now I need someone. So which of you is going to challenge me?" Nnoitra asked sharply. The conversation had brought him up and he was not content to stay in the background despite the fact he already had agreements with Kenpachi, Renji, and Shuuhei for training matches. He wanted his own student dang it.

"How about me?" Shunsui spoke up with a smirk that drew some speculative glances. "You seem to be rather confidant, let's put that to the test shall we?"

"You have got to be kidding, right? You?" Nnoitra actually laughed at him. "Why am I having trouble taking that seriously?"

Instead of getting insulted, the smirk just grew darker, "Oh, you'll see. Humor me and I think you'll find out something very interesting."

"Whatever, your funeral." Nnoitra warned with a shrug. "I'm not responsible if you can't hack it."

Starrk's calm voice interrupted him, "Nnoitra, I really would stop and think for a minute if I were you." He advised lazily. "I think you might be biting off more than you can chew with this one."

Nnoitra turned to fully take in the Primera, "You can't be serious, really?"

"Dead serious." He responded with the same tired tone. "You might want to ask around a bit and find out just what it is his Squad does here. I already have."

Nnoitra tilted his head to the side in confusion for a moment before realization dawned. "Oh shit, he'd like you isn't he? Not another one! Why do all the strong ones have to be lazy?"

Starrk's gaze turned to ice, "What was that?"

"I mean; I think I'll just go talk to my new training partner a bit." Nnoitra recovered quickly.

"Good plan," Starrk responded smoothly, a smirk of his own dancing on his lips that made a good portion of those still watching crack a smile too at the Primera putting the arrogant Quinto in his place without ever raising his voice.

"What about you?" Jyuushiro asked, "Would you be willing to take a student?"

This answer was very slow to come, "Only if the person knew exactly what they were asking for, and I have the final say. I refuse to teach anyone less than a Captain, this is for their own safety. I am too strong; my power can even kill bystanders when I fight." Starrk eventually responded.

"Are you really that much stronger than the others?" Izuru asked in awe.

"Yes." The Primera answered bluntly. "I assume you know what a Vasto Lorde is, correct?" When everyone gathered nodded he continued. "There were five in the Espada over the years, the lowest being Ulquiorra, then Neliel, Tier, Barragan, and finally myself. I am the strongest Aizen has managed to find, not just of the Arrancar, but also of the Vasto Lordes. Trust me when I say the measures I am putting in place are for your own protection."

"Then teach me," Jyuushiro spoke up strongly. "I can also cause quite a bit of collateral damage when I fight and have to be careful who is around. I think we would make a good match for training together. I have a health condition that might mean taking breaks, but when I am in top form I can keep up."

Retsu broke in, "I will be monitoring you the whole time Jyuushiro Ukitake, before and after every spar, if I think for one moment you are pushing yourself too hard I will make you stop; you got that?" She knew better than to try and stop him outright, it was better to keep him as safe as possible while he was being reckless, that way he didn't try to sneak around as much where she couldn't watch over him.

"I understand," He assured her, before turning back to Starrk, "See, I have permission, so what do you say?"

A deep breath, and then, "Alright, as long as your healer keeps clearing you for sparing I will teach you what I can." He finally agreed.

Things were starting to dwindle down now, with only a few left, one that caught Ichigo's attention more than others since he thought Byakuya had mainly stayed to keep an eye on Rukia. When the Captain came forward to question the Arrancar about getting a place for himself, that was when he realized the noble would be involved as well. His anxiety spiked a bit, but he fought it back.

He had a lot of trust in Byakuya. He'd made mistakes sure, but in the end he had chosen Rukia over honor, and Ichigo would not be forgetting that any time soon. Family came first, and Byakuya understood that simple principle now too.

Ichigo was more surprised with Byakuya's choice in teacher.

"I would like to work with someone different, if all I wanted was a brawl I could get that here. Who among you has the most unusual style?" Byakuya questioned honestly.

"Yeah, that would be me," Szayel didn't have any choice about admitting his oddity considering even Ichigo had joined in with the Arrancar in pointing to him, but it wasn't like he was in the business of denying himself anyway. "I can give you what you're after."

"Alright, that is acceptable." Byakuya agreed primly, looking every inch the stuffy noble, but Ichigo couldn't help but notice he almost looked excited. There was a gleam in his eyes that just about had to be anticipation.

"Substitute Kurosaki, why have you not taken a student yourself?" Yamamoto questioned when it looked like everyone was done pairing up and was satisfied.

Damn it, they had hoped to get away without anyone noticing he hadn't taken on a training partner. He was scrambling to come up with a solution when another voice joined the fray.

"I want to work with Ichigo. It has been awhile since I have honed my skill on the battlefield, it will be interesting to learn it once more." Sedate, self-assured, and never-more-welcome Retsu's voice washed over Ichigo; calming him instantly.

"Are you sure about this?" Yamamoto questioned suspiciously, he'd been watching the match-ups with silent distain; hoping that the plan would fall through and no one would be willing to work with the Arrancar at least, even if they might the Visoreds. With his hopes in tatters he was starting to lash out.

"Yes," Retsu remained calm, "Ichigo did such an amazing job teaching my Seventh seat that I would like to experience it for myself. There is war on our doorstep, it would be foolish to deny it, and I would like to support our allies in any way I can. I will learn from them and lead the way for the squads to place their faith with them."

Yamamoto sighed heavily as he realized he would not win this round and his energy was best saved for a better time, "Very well, just know what you are getting in to."

"I believe I know what I am doing, I trust Ichigo and the others. He believes in the hybrids or he wouldn't have proposed this. The ones who are the most unknown are also the ones Ichigo has the most reason to fear, he was their prisoner not so long ago, and yet he is urging us to trust them. I say we honor that request." Retsu pointed out, glancing at the youngest Visored when he stiffened as it was all laid out so bluntly like that.

Never let it be said Ichigo was not strong. He was holding up better than anyone could hope for. He needed help, and soon, that's what this was really about. Getting him out of this mess. Her and Isshin had been conspiring. She already knew about his plans, and her last check-up had been with the future in mind. She was doing everything in her power to make sure the baby and Ichigo would be safe in the long-term if they used the devise Yoruichi sent them.

She was baiting the head-captain now, and to her relief it was working as he strode off in a huff. Leaving the courtyard for his private quarters. This let some of the Visoreds and Arrancar distract the spectators by starting up a few flashy spars. This gave Ichigo a chance to lead away the people he really needed to talk to.

They had many, many years of practice in evading notice, so it was with skillful grace that Ichigo was followed to the cavern he had trained Hanataro and Rikichi in. This was the most secure place in the Seireitei, there was nowhere else he would even think of having this discussion about his little girl. Even if someone had noticed the group convening here they wouldn't get in without raising an alarm.

Starrk, Grimmjow, and Shinji had followed them to the cavern earning them some odd looks. Ichigo settled that when he started talking. "These three know why I needed to talk to you and decided to come to hopefully make it a little easier, well Starrk and Shinji did, Grimmjow is just here because he got bored and there were too many people sparring already for him to let loose." He told on the panther.

"Hey!" Grimmjow protested grumpily.

"You're trying to tell me you weren't bored?" Ichigo accused.

Grimmjow wouldn't meet his eyes, "So what if I was? Doesn't mean that's the only reason I'm here. I'll help too. I just happen to think you won't need it. Now spill it Kurosaki. You have their attention."

Ichigo turned to the group consisting of Nanao, Renji, Byakuya, Rukia, Retsu, Sajin, Izuru, Shuuhei, Jyuushiro, and Shunsui to see that Grimmjow couldn't have been more right. Every set of eyes was on him, though his loves were looking at him in support and Retsu was making sure he wasn't under too much strain.

"Before I say anything, I have something to ask, and this is an honest question. Do not guess, or anything like that, just answer with the truth. Can you see anything different about me?" Ichigo started out simply, keeping his arms to his sides, standing still. Trying not to draw attention to his abdomen in any way.

The others didn't know him as well, but Izuru had taught him and Rukia had lived in his closet. "Ah Ichigo, are you putting on a little weight?" He asked slowly, while she blanched.

"No, that's not, wait." She stuttered, searching his face, then staring at his carefully wrapped abdomen, and just switching back and forth between them rapidly.

Finally, here where he was planning on telling people, he could put his hand over his squirming baby, "Yes Rukia, I asked Shunsui and Jyuushiro to send out those butterflies with the special instructions because I need help. I'm pregnant and my daughter is getting too big to hide."

The only thing keeping him going was this group had actually passed two tests to get to this point. This first was being in the Club, that meant Jyuushiro and Shunsui trusted them with their secrets and had done so for decades. The second was accepting the training with a hybrid, that was basically saying they trusted Ichigo's judgement in return. Trust was a two-way street, especially when it came to something this big.

Renji came up to put a hand on Rukia's shoulder, seeing as she was still in shock, "What do you need?"

"A cover story, and a good one." Ichigo admitted. "Dad has an idea, but it would only get us to the point where she is born, after that she would still be in danger, but at least she would be here where I can protect her better." And he quickly explained the tool that would essentially suspend time for him and his daughter until she was born.

"I may have an idea," This interruption was definitely unexpected, the cultured voice calm but firm.

"Byakuya?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask in surprise.

"I know a way the young one could be safe from harm," Byakuya reiterated. "Have you considered adoption?" And when he saw Ichigo ready to object he quickly put a hand up to stall him. "I don't mean send the child away, I mean treat the child as a foundling, much like when the Kuchiki family took in Rukia. You are not a noble, there wouldn't be as much obstacles on your path, and there would be no taboo against the adoption of a child by a man rather than the birth. Oh, and if someone tries to tell you that you are showing an inordinate amount of love for a child that supposedly is not of your blood you have my permission to send them my way. Family of the heart is equal to family of the blood in my eyes, and you had a large part to play in returning me to that viewpoint. Once your daughter is of an age to understand and protect herself she may be told the truth. You are also lucky in that you did not grow up in the Seireitei, no one here other than your father would know what you looked like as a child and would not connect her features with yours should you look similar. Even hair color could be attributed to coincidence as long as there is a solid enough alibi."

It was like a weight had lifted off his chest as it hit Ichigo this was the answer they had been looking for. "And her father, we could even sneak him in and no one would notice. Just another person helping me raise her." The relief he felt almost brought him to his knees, and he had the craziest urge to hug Byakuya. Jyuushiro and Shunsui were known for their love of children, it wouldn't be unusual at all for them to be drawn to his baby. They already had to hide they were a couple, but they wouldn't have to hide that those two were helping him raise their daughter. It was perfect.

"Okay, but how exactly would you pull that off? Ichigo showing up out of the blue with a baby would be very suspicious and the head-captain is already nosing around him." Izuru pointed out.

"I think I can help," Renji spoke up. "Rukia and I came from a group of orphans in the Rukon, what we can do is hide her there for a day or two after she is born. Ichigo you can go get her from the group and there you go, she's all yours again."

Komamura spoke up next, "I would advise not using the same person twice in carrying her. Don't draw attention. Renji I know you visit that place routinely, you've brought us a few times, it should be you who brings the child there in the beginning. Rukia, if you are willing, go with Ichigo on the following trip to retrieve her."

Rukia, still pale and a bit shocked, did manage to respond, "I can do that."

Ichigo slid his hand down to his baby again and whispered, "Hear that little one? You're going to be okay."


	28. How Did You Love?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A delicate plan is hatched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason you are getting two updates now is I forgot I hadn't updated the stories I posted here. I apologize. I'm still getting used to having two accounts, though I do like the tagging system here better as I feel you can get a better idea of a what a story is.

Ichigo touching his slight baby bump so gently and the relieved words themselves seemed to break the spell of shock the announcement had thrown his friends into and he found himself wrapped up in an almost too-tight hug from Rukia as she threw her arms around him. "Oh god Ichigo, why didn't you tell me?!" She scolded, smacking the back of his shoulder at the same time as she burrowed her face into his neck, squeezing tightly while clinging to him.

He smiled at the rare moment of physical affection, especially in front of others, but just hugged her back and answered her question patiently. "I wanted to, but any time I was around you there was always other people I didn't trust close by. I couldn't even hint, especially after I started showing. I don't want anyone to hurt her."

"I understand," She assured while pulling away from him far enough to get a good look at the carefully wrapped swell, realizing there was more they couldn't see. "Hold on a second, now that I know what I'm looking at I can tell she's bigger than it looks, just how pregnant are you?"

"Almost five months," He admitted ruefully, his face flaming with a blush while he opened his Shihakusho so he could loosen and remove the cloth concealing his daughter feeling a bit self-conscious since the only ones who had really seen her since she'd been growing so much were his loves, Isshin, and Retsu.

Once the bandage was out of the way he heard Rukia gasp and her hands immediately found their way to the curved skin over the baby while he elaborated more, "I found out about her while I was at home -thank Kami- it gave me some time to deal with it before I had to really start acting." Ichigo had ducked his head when he'd uncovered his daughter, so now when he looked upwards he saw that the whole group of Shinigami had drawn closer to him to get a better look.

Rukia saw this too and stepped back to give Ichigo the chance to cover his daughter up if he wanted to. The young Visored just turned towards the observing group and brought his hand up to cradle as much of the little bump just peeking out of his Shihakusho as he could, face burning even hotter, letting these few trusted people see her too. "So, yeah, now you know." He said weakly, fidgeting where he stood, feeling his daughter kick restlessly again.

There was a short silence before a very concerned voice spoke, "That cloth is not going to harm the child is it?" Sajin asked after seeing the impression the fabric had left on Ichigo's skin.

Of all questions that could have possibly been asked, from who her father was to what he was going to name her; Ichigo felt a warm rush of gratitude that someone else held her safety as the first priority. "No, I have it on very good authority that she will be just fine with hiding her like that as long as I do it right and I'm not too far along. It's starting to get harder to breathe for me but she's okay." He assured with a grateful smile and nod in Retsu's direction. Every single check-up included a lesson on how to adjust the bandage and make sure he was doing it right to cover his growing baby safely.

It hit Renji then, about the extras in the group and the stipulation to who could come to this particular meeting, and he couldn't stop himself from breaking in. "Wait, what do the Espada have to do with this?" His eyes widened and he rounded on Grimmjow, "She's yours, isn't she?" He accused, ignoring the chorus of several voices calling his name in a scandalized tone at his complete and utter lack of tact.

Grimmjow was more than willing to meet his belligerence head-on, plus, it wasn't like Ichigo was leaping to answer, "So what if she is? You got a problem with that?" Baiting Shinigami had become a fond pastime of his since the restrictions were lifted.

"I'll kill you!" Renji snapped, rising to the challenge, reaching for his Zanpakuto.

Only to be brought to heel by a low, but all too chilling voice. "Lieutenant, should you so much as touch your weapon I'll assign you nothing but desk work for a month." Byakuya threatened with crossed arms and hard eyes directed at his subordinate.

"Captain, you can't be okay with this!" Renji protested, using Byakuya's title since the elder Shinigami had decided to pull rank on him first.

The glare just got frostier, "First of all, it is not your place to object unless you are asked to assist with the situation by the disadvantaged party; and secondly, I suggest using an ounce of common sense before drawing arms against an ally when not in a spar."

Seeing his friend about to be roasted by his superior, Ichigo decided to save him, "Renji, do a little math, it will save you some grief. I said almost five months." Renji had found out about his loves while working to train Rikichi and Hanataro, he should have at least some clue that Grimmjow was not the only option.

That brought the hot-headed Lieutenant up short while he did as told, but he soon sent a scowl at the now very smug Arrancar, "Oh you bastard, why did you claim the baby if she isn't yours?"

"Because she very nearly was," Grimmjow admitted with a shrug that told of a nonchalance that was in complete opposition to his tone of voice. "Wanted to see what would have happened had that been the case. You pretty much proved my point. So my cub would have been shunned. Good to know."

Now Renji's face was the same color as his hair and he sounded utterly offended, "Oh hell no, you don't say that shit about me. I wouldn't have done anything to hurt or ignore a kid. I know what it's like considering I was a friggin street rat. Every person gets a chance with me. My problem would have been with you, not your kid, and definitely not when she's my friend's baby too."

A single aqua eyebrow rose, "So why the death threat?"

"Because you have been a thorn in his side for a long time and you have done nothing but make Ichigo's life harder since you got here, and if that baby really was yours then you don't deserve her." The simple honesty had everyone gathered look at Renji with a bit more respect, even if they did still think he had no tact.

Ichigo couldn't keep quiet though, "That isn't true." He spoke softly, not looking up so the group couldn't see his face, and he kept his hand over his softly shifting baby; this time more for his own comfort than hers. "She isn't his Renji, and I'm happy about that because I love her fathers, but I would not have been angry if she was Grimmjow's daughter." It was still weird and a little hard to admit, but Grimmjow had cemented himself a place in their lives the moment he helped free Ichigo in a way none of the other Arrancar had done; he'd made it personal. Taking an interest in the baby and choosing to protect her even after knowing she wasn't of his blood was another plus in their books.

Ichigo did not love Grimmjow, there were far too many memories of pain and misery for that to be in any way healthy, but he could not stand to hear Renji say the other hybrid did not deserve the baby if she were his. "He does more than people see, they all do, everyone that came here from the Living World knows about her including every single hybrid. I needed enough people to know about her that if I ended up in a tight spot they could help get us out of it."

That brought both Grimmjow and Starrk under inspection, while Shinji slid into the background since no one was real surprised the Visoreds were covering for one of their own.

"You trust them that much?" Izuru asked outright, eyeing the blue-haired former Espada he'd taken as a teacher from behind the fall of blonde hair covering half his face.

Ichigo's lips twitched up into a wry smile, "Well considering it was Starrk who discovered her in the first place, and both her and I are still safe from Aizen, I'd say he earned it. As for the others well, Grimmjow had an active role in freeing me from Aizen -openly defying that bastard is not easy- so I had no reason not to trust him. I knew Szayel had been involved in the plot at least a little; so I was willing to give him a chance. The one I was most concerned about was Nnoitra, but Starrk kept him in line until I got used to him. Nnoitra is a beast, at least as bad if not worse than Grimmjow, but he is willingly protecting my daughter of his own free will by this point; he just likes riling me up because he can."

Nanao was the one to make a useful realization, "Does your kind not have any taboos against relations of this nature then, or the bearing of children by males?" She was questioning Starrk as the more approachable of the two Arrancar despite the higher rank.

"Hollows have no reason to have any such taboos -especially after reaching Menos status- we are beings created from many sources, and because of that we don't really have an exact gender the way you do." He responded with a shrug. "It is hard to describe, but each and every one of us is both male and female to a certain extent and that ratio is decided by the gender of the souls that filled the gaps of our true selves." And if Starrk noticed he and Grimmjow were now being surrounded by young Shinigami all looking at them with rampant curiosity he didn't mention it. The elder ones found it kind of adorable actually, and were hiding laughter at the cluster of Officers acting like children at story time. Plus, it helped cover up that they were drawing closer and settling in to listen too.

The next question didn't come from one of the younger one's though as the natural curiosity inherent to healers reared its head in Retsu at hearing Starrk's lazy explanation, "Interesting, so essentially your whole race is to some degree intersexed?"

Starrk thought about it for a moment, "I haven't heard that term before, but judging by the word itself, I'm guessing you're right." He paused and the group thought he would just leave it there, but to their amazement he delved fully into the mechanics of it. "I know of the two types of Shinigami, and while we are somewhat similar to your born kind, there is one very large difference. In your case the souls brought together to form your spiritual bodies are a clean slate, with no prior life information involved, in Hollows it's the opposite. When we hunt souls and the fragments join our spirits, some of what they were in life stays with them and it gets incorporated into who we are. Each Hollow is made up of a dominant soul that gives us our appearance, but also many lesser souls that contribute to our overall personality and mental traits. This is the true reason driving the hunger that plagues all Hollows. It is a need we have to stabilize our core selves. We are filling the gaps in our souls until we once again feel whole, and it is only when we've achieved enough of these patches that higher order emotions such as lust become possible again. When we are drawn to someone -typically this is purely lust as that is not too far a feeling from hunger if I can be blunt- it is more for whether they have a dominating or submissive presence. You'd probably describe those traits as the closest equivalent we have to masculine and feminine, but even then it isn't so cut and dried that we would care if two dominating or two submissive Hollows were drawn together. Children can be produced from any mating regardless, though there is a slightly higher likelihood with a dominant/submissive partnership, but it still incredibly rare no matter what."

Shinji spoke up, a second before Ichigo would have broken in himself, "What about a Visored's Hollow? Is there anything you could tell us about it from what you felt?"

"The only one I have seen fully shifted to his other form is Ichigo, so this is going just off him and Junichi but they are like us. I do not know how though. You did not have to go through the cycle of hunting and feeding the way we did to acquire your soul fragments to turn you into what we are, nor were you born with them like a Hollow child would have been, so I'm at a loss." Starrk admitted, sending a little shock through Ichigo at the new bit of information. Lilynette had mentioned that Hollows weren't quite male or female before, but he had honestly never really applied that to himself before.

He pulled himself together relatively quickly though. Compared to some of the other life altering news he'd gotten recently -one of which was currently stretching out his belly- it didn't change much, he was still Ichigo, but there was a new facet to his identity that he hadn't acknowledged before.

There was an observation he could make though, "When I fought off the Hollowfication process and gained my Hollow, he was already a fully formed Menos. Is it possible Junichi and the others had all the fragments they needed when they first got to us? We wouldn't have to hunt for what we already had." Ichigo mused, feeling Junichi's interest grow at the question too.

"I think that might be the only explanation, it would almost be as if you were born as one of us, but I really don't know." Starrk responded slowly, thinking it over. "I had a lot of time to figure out the process of developing through the Hollow levels even up to the point of becoming an Arrancar, but until I learned of Aizen's plans I did not even know the opposite was possible much less that any Visoreds existed."

Shinji stepped in, "That sounds like something we should have Kisuke look into. He could possibly find out since it was his research Aizen stole to make the first Visoreds."

"Szayel may be able to track down what you're looking for without hopping between worlds, never forget what he used to be, he was Aizen's top researcher and is very good at finding answers." Starrk reminded. "In his case the arrogance is entirely justified."

"You really think he would be interested enough to do it though?" Ichigo thought to ask, having a fairly good read of the Octava's personality after all this time.

"Depends on who asks, and how you ask him," Starrk admitted. "If all else fails tell him you will all owe him a favor; that will get his attention. He prefers it when people are in his debt and not the other way around."

"Which of the Visoreds would be the best to ask Szayel?" Shuuhei asked curiously, he was braver than Izuru but more tactful than Renji; enabling him to ask good questions just like Nanao. Most of the current captains felt the two of them had the potential to join their ranks in time while the other two were likely destined to stay as Lieutenants.

Starrk, Grimmjow, and to the other's slight surprise Shinji, all instantly pointed to Ichigo. Grimmjow was the one to explain this one though, "If you haven't figured it out yet I pity your squad; their leader is an idiot. If it is an order coming from our own kind, Starrk has control, if it is coming from your side Ichigo does."

"I thought you were asking him, not ordering. Of course I know what happens when you guys have to do something, I figured this might be different." Shuuhei defended himself, angry at the slam against his leadership skill.

"Asking, ordering; with us there really isn't much difference." Grimmjow pointed out. "You're still attempting to get him to do something he probably wouldn't have done on his own. If you want Pinky to go along with the idea, then you'd better use someone that already has authority over him."

It was in that moment that the older Shinigami in the group realized that as abrasive as Grimmjow was being, he was actually a half-decent teacher. He was explaining the point anyway instead of just insulting the young Lieutenant and leaving him to stew in it. Considering they had a certain rough around the edges Captain themselves; they were certainly no novices to the brash teaching style.

"He really wouldn't do it if someone else asked?" Izuru this time, not understanding what made the difference between one person asking and another, if you were willing to do something it shouldn't matter who made the request in his opinion.

This question was a bit unexpected, and it showed in the length of time it took to get an answer; and when it did come it was in the form of a question from Grimmjow. "Let me ask you this, do you know why Starrk is the only Espada we ALL call by last name?"

"Because he is the Primera, he outranks you." Izuru responded slowly, just knowing the answer was far too obvious to be right, but not knowing what else it could be.

"Yeah, well Nnoitra outranks me, and so does that bastard Ulquiorra, I still call them by first name. Our rankings are based on our spiritual power and all that is, is our potential strength; not necessarily how well we use it. We all call him Starrk because he is the only one to have never lost a fight, ever, to any one of us. We can only use the first names of the Arrancar we've bested in battle in other words. If we ignore that rule we are fair game as target practice for either that Espada or their Fraccion in the case of Barragan since he hates getting his hands dirty but no one really has much respect for him anymore." Grimmjow explained bluntly. "Now if we can't even use each other's first name without spilling blood, can you imagine what we would need to do to ask for a favor?"

Izuru lost what little color there was to his already pale skin, "Yeah, that would be bad."

"Don't look so afraid," Starrk spoke up languidly, eyeing the Lieutenant calmly. "It's not as horrific as Grimmjow is making it sound. He has a penchant for dramatics. What he is basically getting at is it would be better to approach Szayel from a position of authority as high as we can get just to be safe, even if a lower person asked he won't come to blows as he is relatively hard to provoke, but he might not agree to do what you've requested for the simple reason that he doesn't have to. It would be his way of exercising power when the vast majority of the time he is on a very low rung of authority. He's the lowest Espada to come, the only Arrancar lower are Lilynette and Tesra, and we are an egotistical race by nature. It is a little easier on him because he tends towards the submissive side, but in some cases that only serves to make a Hollow more driven to prove themselves."

"What makes the difference between a dominant and a submissive Hollow? Is it just a personality thing?" Shuuhei asked, not sure whether he would get an answer, but genuinely curious.

"Outwardly it shows in our personality for the most part, for example Nnoitra and Grimmjow are without a doubt dominant, while Szayel and Tesra are more submissive. Internally it hints at what proportion of female to male our souls are, traditionally Hollows with more masculine souls are dominant and feminine souls are submissive, but it is not a hard and fast rule because it can be broken. I prove that point as I have a majority feminine soul with a dominant personality, which is why Lilynette manifested as female." Starrk was not at all embarrassed to admit that one. "That's also why it is a bit easier for a submissive hollow to get pregnant, they typically have a higher proportion of feminine spirit fragments. We breed more like Shinigami than humans, but because our spirits have some traits left over from life unlike Shinigami we must wait however long it takes for those fragments to essentially 'forget' what was once impossible for them. The less masculine fragments there are the less time it takes, and the more likely it is the Hollow will have a child."

"What about Ichigo's baby?" This one came from Izuru, who'd been watching Ichigo do nothing but rub soothing circles over his little girl since he'd felt safe enough to do so. The Visored had come to sit in the ring of people surrounding the two Arrancar as well, and it gave him a great opportunity just to observe him. The pure love was impossible to miss. "If Ichigo is both Hollow and Shinigami, how is she here so quickly?"

"I might be able to answer that one myself," Ichigo interrupted before Starrk could respond, "You could look at it this way, if Junichi is half of my soul, and I am a born Shinigami, wouldn't that give him the traits of a born Hollow?"

"It does give the argument more weight," Starrk realized, "And is definitely something worth saying to Szayel when he tests the other Visoreds."

Ichigo looked to Shinji, "Do you know what kind of Shinigami the others are?"

"Not all of us, but I'm born, so are Kensei and Rose; Hiyori and Mashiro are natural." Shinji informed, "Those are the only ones I'm sure of though."

"I know Lisa is born," Shunsui added in with interest, coming to stand with them, dropping a hand to Ichigo's shoulder and squeezing reassuringly. It had been a long day. To his surprise he was tugged down to sit so Ichigo could rest against him; and Ichigo wasted no time in reaching out for Jyuushiro too. Now that they were safe and calm all he wanted was his loves close to him.

With Ichigo burrowed into one side, Jyuushiro laying against the other, Shunsui felt a smile creeping on his lips as he laid a broad hand next to Jyuushiro's slimmer one over their curled up baby, hearing a quiet sigh of relief spill out from the youngest of trio at the much needed contact. Ichigo threw all caution and modesty to the wind and kissed each in turn deeply, needing to rid himself of the stress and anxiety of the day, losing himself in their presence for a few moments.

They were not interrupted until they'd pulled away and were once again resting comfortably against each other, but once settled they were met with a simple statement. "This seems to explain the plural on fathers earlier, I had wondered about that, it looks as if multiple congratulations are in order here." The dry completely matter-of-fact tone was unexpected, though maybe not so much when considering the source was the Squad Six Captain.

Jyuushiro was the first to laugh, with Shunsui and then Ichigo not far behind, but the white-haired captain responded for the trio, "Thank you Byakuya. Yes, the baby is also mine and Shun's, she was a bit of a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. We were leaving it up to Ichigo whether he wanted to make this relationship known or not, the particulars can be, well, rather difficult."

They didn't think Ichigo was up to speaking any longer, but being with his loves always gave him strength, so it was his voice that took up the explanation, "Well, everyone here already knows so much, what could this hurt? They should know she's your baby too. Everyone cares so much about the both of you, why wouldn't I tell them you're finally getting the chance to be parents? And it's all thanks to Byakuya that you both get to be there for her as much as you want."

"We can't be more grateful to you by the way," Jyuushiro told the raven haired man strongly. "We've been doing nothing but bang our heads against the wall trying to come up with a way to all stay together, and you just handed us the future on a platter. There aren't words for the amount of relief I'm feeling, so I can only imagine what this means to Ichigo who's always been the one carrying the largest burden through this. Thank you so much for taking some of that weight off him when we couldn't."

"Yes, everything Jyuu said and more," Shunsui agreed, "You've given us our family. We don't have to run or hide anything more than we would normally have to. She is going to grow up loved so much because of you, not hated and feared. You've given our daughter hope."

Was it just Ichigo, or was the normally aloof noble actually blushing?

"It was nothing, I didn't do anything that someone else wouldn't have done. It was the right thing to do." The same matter-of-fact tone, but the rosy tint to his cheeks gave him away.

Ichigo, with a lot of effort because he really was comfortable, pulled away from his loves and walked over to Byakuya before abruptly pulling the startled captain into a sudden hug. "Don't you dare say that when you've done something we couldn't. You might think it was nothing, but we don't." He grabbed the wide-eyed man's hand and put it squarely over the baby. "We owe you, big time, for keeping this little girl safe. So take our gratitude, please."

At first, all Byakuya showed was surprise, then curiosity, finally after a gentle probe of spiritual pressure got sent back to him just as curiously; pure awe.

Ichigo smiled at him, "See what I mean? Don't you dare say what you did was nothing."


	29. Welcome to the Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little treasure arrives.

Chapter Twenty-Nine  
Welcome to the Show

It wasn’t easy making it through the next week. Ichigo was terrified they would be discovered as final preparations were made and Yoruichi sent instructions on how to properly use the family heirloom she entrusted to them. 

If anyone seemed to be getting a little too close to Ichigo and his secrets, those protecting him had absolutely no qualms about creating a distraction by any means necessary, even if that meant challenging one another to a spar at the drop of a hat. It was one time the reputation of the Espada played to their advantage, and since it was for Ichigo the training partners did not refuse them even once during those tense few days of being decoys. 

Ichigo was so worked up he almost didn’t hear his approaching guest until he was practically on top of him, he was too busy pacing and worrying about the next day which was when they were to start the time lapse. 

Needless to say, he ended nearly jumping out of his skin when a firm hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing surprisingly gently for all the strength he could feel running through it. “Starrk! What the…why did you do that?” He cried out, whirling around and beginning to hyperventilate. 

“I’m sorry Ichigo, I was worried, you were looking a little too lost for my liking.” The Primera apologized, looking him over critically. “It would be useless to ask if you’re okay, when you are obviously not. Also; I have a pretty good guess what’s wrong. I thought this might happen, so I’m here to try and help you relax some.” He explained, not liking how pale Ichigo had grown, or how rapidly he was breathing. 

Ichigo let out a hollow laugh, “I wish you could, but I kinda doubt anyone could say anything that would make this easier.”

That statement made Starrk quirk an eyebrow in exasperated amusement, “Oh I don’t know, I’d think I have a fairly good shot, considering I’ve been in your place before.”

“Wait, what!?!?!?” Incredulousness and disbelief colored Ichigo’s outburst, the baby kicking him sharply in displeasure at the wash off emotion coming off him. 

That quirked eyebrow turned into a small, almost wolfish, smirk; “Did you ever wonder how I knew the answers to the questions your Shinigami were asking the other day? Some is fairly general knowledge among Hollows, I’ll give you that, but there was a tad too much detail for someone who’s never experienced it.”

Ichigo shook his head rapidly, trying to stall his racing thoughts, “Does that mean…well, did you have a baby?”

Starrk nodded, “I did, but it’s probably not what you think. I’ve been pregnant before yes, but my circumstances were a bit different than yours.” He was deliberately leading Ichigo on, seeing how the mystery and new information was slowly bringing Ichigo down from his frenzy which was the entire goal of bringing this up in the first place. 

It was working, worry was being slowly replaced with curiosity, “What happened?”

“The child I carried was Lilynette; just as her soul came from mine, so did her body.” He revealed. “When my soul first split, the new entity needed time to mature and grow strong before coming into the world. I provided that time, and the strength she needed.” 

There was a lot Ichigo could ask about, one relatively random thing spilling out first, “Does anyone else know?”

“Lilynette knows of course, and I think Barragan suspects something which isn’t that surprising with how long he’s been around. If the others have guessed they haven’t said anything to me. Szayel is the most likely to have realized out of the ones here.” Starrk explained easily, if he wasn’t ready to answer questions he wouldn’t have brought the topic up in the first place. 

Ichigo had his hand over his daughter, “I never thought…” He mumbled, before returning his attention to Starrk, “So, you know what this feels like?”

A true smile this time, “Yes, it was the strangest and most awkward time in my life I admit, but it was worth it to not be alone anymore. It wasn’t that hard carrying her, and having her was painful but not something that can’t be handled. Especially with how many fights you wound up in.” He was teasing with that last bit, but that didn’t make it less true. They all spent time getting sliced up on the battlefield, so really what was one more session of pain when the reward was so high?

Ichigo looked down at his baby, now almost impossible to camouflage the swelling, “What’s it going to be like, you know, when she comes?” 

“I know for me I was so flooded with instincts it was like I was reacting without thought. It was obviously the first, and only, time I was ever in labor but somehow my body just knew what it was doing. It forced my head to take a backseat and just let it happen. I don’t remember any time when I was more animalistic than that, and Hollows are already more primal than Shinigami by our very nature.” The words flowed out of Starrk steadily, even if Ichigo could tell by the tinge of nostalgia that his thoughts were tangled up in the memories. 

He shook it off though and reached out again, putting his hands back on Ichigo’s shoulders, “I honestly don’t know how much you and Junichi’s minds overlap, but the more you can combine and support each other the better off you will be. Let his nature help you cope, even if that seems backwards knowing what Hollows are like. Always remember the one thing we are is aggressively territorial over what is ours, and a body born of our body is going to be our singular focus for as long as they are dependent on us, there is no deeper connection for us. Trust me when I say even if you don’t recognize the feeling as love, it is its own kind of devotion and just as powerful if not more so.” 

As much as Ichigo wanted the words to calm him, it only brought up another fear. “Starrk, what if my daughter is more Hollow than Shinigami? How will I keep her safe then?”

“Even if her power is more like ours, there is one thing that is very much in your favor when it comes to Hollow children. They are born maskless. You know by now that Hollows do not age physically, something more obvious once we are Arrancar but it is true for all of us. The exception to that is if a child is born a Hollow. The aging process is not halted until the child is powerful enough their mask manifests, it is a combination of pure spiritual strength and how quickly they grow hungry. We have no need to devour souls until that tipping point is reached. The more powerful the child, the quicker this happens. Lilynette looks like a child because she was born at too high of a level and her mask formed before her body was done growing. She isn’t the only one I know of, but she is the youngest in body and the longest surviving one of those I’ve run across.”

One breath of relief, followed by another sobering thought, “I have to ask, are the Espada starving themselves just to be here? If you are that is not going to end well, since I have no idea how long we will be stuck here.”

“We are not starving, but I’m not sure you want to know what we’ve been doing to replace hunting.” He hedged for the first time in the conversation. Not ashamed, just wary of the implications the answer might hold. 

“Just tell me, I want to know as much as I can about what this arrangement is costing all of you.” Ichigo urged, if they could handle doing it, he could at the very least handle the information. 

Starrk didn’t answer right away, instead he took a few minutes to decide how to word things. When words did come, they were steady and confident; if Ichigo really wanted to know than Starrk would trust in his determination and tell him. “We’ve been cannibalizing each other. Szayel has a method of trapping and storing spirit pressure in a separate form, it’s what he used to make his Fraccion out of, but if we were to only consume the ones we made ourselves it wouldn’t be enough to stave off the hunger long term. All we would be doing is replacing the energy lost in creating the energy spheres, not giving ourselves more. So we trade off, each of us make some and then rotate them out. Me and Nnoitra have been making the most and distributing them to the lower level ones, the lower we are the more we need to consume to keep up our strength. Remember hunting for us is more than just sustenance, it’s filling in gaps that desperately need filling. The more powerful we are the less gaps there are needing to be filled. For example; for every one I need, Grimmjow needs two.”

Ichigo had paled again, in worry for the Espada this time instead of himself. “Are you sure that is going to be enough?”

“Well, I can’t say we would turn down an offer from others every once and awhile,” Starrk admitted. “Only, Szayel’s method might not work if the person doesn’t have some Hollow in them, since in requires slowly shaving off bits of the souls we’ve gathered before and condensing them. Shinigami spirits might be too streamlined for it to work.” 

“I think the Visoreds might be willing to give it a try, some of them anyway,” Ichigo offered. 

“That might not be such a bad idea, I wasn’t going to bring it up myself though. I imagine if the head-captain discovers we are engaging in cannibalism and encouraging others to help us do it, he might kick us out agreement or no agreement.” Starrk warned.

Ichigo understood where he was coming from, but there was more to it. “I think it’s kind of his own fault though, even I admit it took far too long to ask such a fundamental question. You would think it would be one of his first.” The realization came slowly, but Ichigo was sure of it by the time the thought finished. 

“I have a feeling Yamamoto was attempting to trap us, if we had to sneak off back to Heuco Mundo to hunt, or let our hunger get so bad we went on a rampage here, he would have all of his objections justified.” Starrk speculated, and it made sense to Ichigo when he added up all of Yamamoto’s actions and words since this collaboration started. 

Ichigo wrapped an arm around his kicking daughter, “The more we speculate the more terrified I’m going to get. He can’t find out about her, he just can’t.”

“You let us worry about that for now, just remember in about a day if Yoruichi’s estimate is right, you will be holding her. This plan will work and we will keep her safe,” Starrk encouraged.

“I want her here already,” Ichigo admitted, his grip tightening around himself. 

“I know it will feel like an eternity to you, but just a little longer and she will be. Trust yourself and us, we will get her here safe and sound.” The Espada reassured. 

“That’s the only thing I can do,” Ichigo agreed, before forcibly changing the subject to discuss what it was like raising Lilynette. The pride Starrk allowed himself to show while speaking about her was soothing, and he needed that right now. 

Slowly, agonizingly in some places, the night passed and finally Ichigo was settling down in the cave with the others so they could implement their careful plan. 

Yoruichi warned that with the length of time they were attempting to stall, they would need at least two strong people anchoring the device or they would risk draining a single person of so much spiritual pressure it would permanently disable them. 

The discussion about who would be the anchors was short, but didn’t go the way any of them were expecting. “Do we really need to talk about this? Shun and I will be the ones protecting Ichigo and our daughter.” Jyuushiro stated first, the circle of confidants convening in the cave for the last time before time would be halted for the pair. Those who would not be directly involved with the device would then scatter and be distractions to keep attention away from the cave and anyone looking for the people busy with Ichigo. 

It was Shunsui who put a halting hand on his love’s shoulder, “That might not be the best of ideas Jyuu, we don’t want to push you into a relapse with the drain on your system.”

“Shunsui’s right, you two should stay fully aware, Ichigo will need you when he’s in labor,” This was Isshin. “I was going to suggest that from the start. I don’t want you to miss her being born, so you need to save your strength. Instead I will be one of the anchors for this. We need one more though?” He trailed off with the question, looking at the assembled Shinigami and Arrancar. 

“I’ll do it,” Starrk, stated calmly, though it definitely made some eyebrows raise. “What? I don’t like fighting to kill but that doesn’t mean I won’t use my power at all. It would be foolish to ignore it when it could be useful. I will help Ichigo bring his cub into the world safely.” 

Byakuya spoke up, “It would be prudent to have a failsafe in case something happens and we need to switch one of you out, should that occur I will step in.” What could he say, Ichigo’s words during the last meeting had left an impression on him. 

Isshin nodded in approval, “Good, so the ones staying will be us three, Shunsui, Jyuushiro, and maybe one or two for decoys in case someone finds us?”

“I’ll stay,” Grimmjow here, “Nnoitra you and I can stay at the entrance of the cave and if anyone comes we will start sparring to cover up what’s happening.”

The quinto just shrugged, it didn’t matter too much to him as long as he was occupied. He hated being bored. 

“Are you sure about this?” Ichigo asked seriously, giving them one last chance to rethink their aide.

“No need to ask in my case,” Isshin was the quickest to respond, followed by affirmative nods from the rest. 

That was Isshin’s cue to start setting up the device, “Alright, let’s get this done then. Starrk you will stand opposite me, facing inwards, with Ichigo bookended by us. With two people using this we need to balance the pressure released between both of us until it is roughly equal in intensity to keep the device stable and working properly. Is this making sense?” Never hurt to check comprehension, that was better than assuming wrongly. 

“I figured it would work like that,” Starrk confirmed before reaching out to the anchor points on his side.

“Ichigo, you are going to want to get as comfortable as you can before we start, it would be best if you picked one form to stay in for this.” Isshin advised, not real surprised when Ichigo shifted over to his Hollow form.

“She seems to like being like this, so I’m going to run with it,” Ichigo explained while getting comfortable. “Well, here goes nothing,” He commented once he was as ready as he was going to get, listening to his father calmly count down from three to signal Starrk to start feeding power into the device. As they had planned during the last week, he let himself fade into his inner world where he would have the company of Zangetsu and Junichi to help relieve the solitude the time suspension would inflict. 

XXXXXXXJunichiXXXXX

Junichi was bored, several months of limited fighting made for one very restless Hollow. His King was out there talking with the others and getting their soon to be segregation sorted out, but nothing was coming up that held his attention for long. This was already planned as well as it could be from his perspective. 

A kick to his ribs drew his bored gaze down, eyeing up the culprit. She was getting bigger, but wasn’t huge yet. He could definitely understand the urgency surrounding this little bait-and-switch, it was nearly impossible to hide her under their clothes anymore. Junichi was honestly surprised they hadn’t been noticed before, but then again there were handy Espada around for distraction. That had to count for something.

In all honesty, he hadn’t let himself think about this whole pregnant thing much. She was there, nothing he could do about that, but beyond the urge to protect her he’d kept his thoughts from straying. 

Now though she was giving a firm reminder of her presence. The first kick was just the start of her squirming around. Seemed to him like their daughter was just as bored and restless as he was.

She was pressing out against his side, seemingly right under his ribs, and he threw caution to the wind and opened his white Shihakusho to inspect the hard lump the baby had very determinedly turned his abdomen into. He drew his hand over and prodded her where she had pushed against him. She responded to his poking with a little jab returning the favor. Junichi raised his eyebrow at the reaction before poking her again in a different spot, a second later and sure enough she was hitting him back. Even Junichi had to admit this was fun. He continued playing this new game for a while, seeing how far she would move and how quickly she responded. He was so entranced by the baby he barely noticed the shift in their outer form, he certainly wasn’t going to object if his King wanted to use this form.

He might have kept poking at the baby even longer if it wasn’t for his King sneaking up on him while he was distracted by the game with the baby. 

Ichigo’s eyes were sparkling mischievously when Junichi finally looked up at him, “Junichi, are you… playing with our baby?” His question was teasing, as he already knew the answer from observing his Hollow for the last few minutes. He’d been wondering why the baby had gotten so worked up, not just randomly moving around but pressing out, responding to something. He followed his instincts and kept quiet when entering his mindscape, and was rewarded with finding Junichi in the act.

Despite knowing he was caught, Junichi still tried to hedge around the question, “…Maybe.” Though there was an incriminating disgruntled kick from the baby in response to the game stopping and he had yet to cover himself back up. 

Ichigo settled down next to him on the skyscraper he’d claimed for himself, “What brought that on?” He was watching with amusement, no doubt about that, but there was a hint of relief under that at seeing the bonding moment between Hollow and baby. 

“I was bored okay!” Junichi confessed in irritation. “She was there and it just kind of happened. Besides what did you think I was going to do, ignore her the whole time? That’s hard to do when she keeps kicking me.” That was all true. He didn’t mind they were going to have a baby, but this part was not something he had been looking forward to. If pressed though, after his little game with her, it wasn’t as bad as he had been afraid of. 

“I had no idea how you were going to handle this, especially since I really don’t know how I’m going to manage myself.” Ichigo commented, careful to not challenge his Hollow’s excuses for now. That wouldn’t bode well for the isolation ahead. 

A calm voice interrupted them, “You two would spend this time wisest by training. You’ve been given an opportunity, don’t waste it.” Zangetsu had heard all the conversations around them, and felt it was the right time to speak up. 

Junichi glared down balefully at the swelling in his abdomen, “Oh yeah, and just how do you expect us to do that? She isn’t getting any smaller here.” 

“Fighting is not the kind of training I was referring to,” If anything Ichigo guessed Zangetsu was actually amused at the stubborn Hollow’s predicament. “I meant working on yourselves, and teamwork especially. There is a higher level to your power, it should be clear by now what is needed to reach it.”

Ichigo felt the Hollow puffing up in irritation beside him, and though he was calmer than Junichi he couldn’t say he wasn’t interested in what their Zanpakuto was saying. It was him who asked the obvious question, “So how do we do it?” 

Zangetsu gave one of his small smile, a lot like Starrk’s from the conversation the day before. “Think Ichigo, both of you are strong in your own ways. You have the Shinigami power while he houses the Hollow, switching off between you two has served you well to this point, but have you ever considered what might happen if you combined your consciousness and were true equals in control?” 

“So, basically, you’re saying King and I need to start playing nicer with each other?” Junichi scoffed. 

“Not exactly,” Zangetsu corrected, “This goes much deeper then sentiment. In having the relationship you two do, it creates a barrier between your thoughts, we need to bring that barrier down so your thoughts are his and his are yours. Not always, understand this is much like having a Bankai or Ulquiorra’s second stage resurrection, you won’t need it constantly but if you do find it necessary it will be there.” 

“What happens to us when the barrier falls?” Ichigo was worried about losing himself, and he was willing to bet Junichi felt the same by the way he was tensed and trembling with fight or flight instincts. 

Zangetsu’s tone changed to something more comforting, “You will each still be yourselves, like I said this is not permanent. You will be fully linked meaning that your thoughts will be shared, but that doesn’t make you less of who you are. If anything it will increase your understanding of the other for the times when you are not linked, reaffirming your separate identities as much as your combined one.” 

Sharing a look with black rimmed eyes, the Hollow grumpily nodding while lifting his chin in defiance, Ichigo answered for the both of them. “Alright, let’s give it a try. We are going into a war, we will need all the strength we can get.”

“Good choice,” Zangetsu commended, before getting down to the business of teaching them to connect. 

It would take all three of them to get it achieved, because the key to the process was Zangetsu himself, he was the bridge between Hollow and Shinigami, already connected to both halves of the soul. By focusing on channeling their strength to Zangetsu, he would in turn blend it together until neither Junichi or Ichigo were able to tell who gave what power. That opened the door for meditation practice, which provided the relaxed environment they needed to reach out and join their thoughts together. It was alien and awkward for both of them, but having the familiar rush of power going back and forth between themselves and Zangetsu helped them fade into each other.

Ichigo learned a lot from sinking into his Hollow self, the emotions and impulses were much stronger than his own. Each feeling while inherently simpler, was felt all the more sharply for its singularity. Junichi did not get a wash of feelings like Ichigo did, instead he felt each thing almost brutally intensely due to its singularity. That one thought or feeling ruled him, with nothing to buffer it. So when the Hollow was angry, he was furious and only furious, much the same for pride or frustration. 

It made so much more sense now, why Hollows gave into their urge to hunt, no matter the morals of the person they had once been. Hunger was agonizing when there was nothing else to mask it, not even fear or rage like when a human was starving, just an all-consuming soul deep need to eat. It was maddening to feel that much of one thing and not being able to staunch it on their own. 

Junichi had the opposite education. He knew now what it was like to feel a swirl of emotions working together to either give or take away confidence. He could understand some of his King’s more reckless decisions now that he’d felt the maelstrom clouding judgment and making people do foolish things. Too many emotions were just as maddening as only having one intense feeling, but it hit them in different ways.

With their thoughts aliened they had the benefits of both ways, and could balance out the negatives. When Junichi felt his King getting much too involved for their own good, he could wash it out with his much simpler way of seeing things, in this case the sheer intensity was needed to break him out of the cycle of thought. Also, when Ichigo attempted to get his point across to Junichi, he could now show the Hollow what he was talking about rather than trying to muddle his way through complex explanations.

It was a long and grueling process, taking up much of their time and distracting them from worrying about their daughter. She grew steadily in all that time, rounding out their belly, kicking and dancing inside them while they worked on their minds. The first time Junichi and Ichigo succeeded in blending their thoughts, they knew it worked because every kick and jab was shared and the emotions flowed between them, Ichigo’s relief and Junichi’s pride washed over the both of them. 

Their daughter was strong and sometimes, when they needed a break, Junichi and Ichigo would lay down together and relax into the feeling of having her inside them. Her tiny core of power grew along with her body, and it latched onto them tightly. An affirmation that she was right there with them and would soon be ready to great them. 

It was exciting and their anticipation only grew as they slowly realized their body was changing, morphing into something neither Hollow or Shinigami, but with elements of both. Their hulking body grew more streamlined and muscled, the baby the only thing altering their slender but powerful form. The once bright red markings darkened and simplified, until they had streaks along their mask, chest, and shoulders the same color as dried blood. Instead of spiked shoulders and smooth wrists, they had almost feather like tufts pluming out, and two long horns rose from their mask. 

The changes were gratifying to Junichi in particular, having picked up the significance of the change much sooner than his counterpart. They hadn’t just combined their power, the mixture had amplified it into an entirely new class, and he wasn’t the only one to notice it.

XXXXXXStarrkXXXXXX

Outside of their own little world Starrk was watching the changes with a critical eye, not missing how uncertain the slow shifts were making the watching Shinigami. It was with gritted teeth that he spoke up, the drain of the device taking its toll. “Stay calm, nothing’s wrong.”

Jyuushiro, having been busy hovering and worrying, was the first to pounce on the words, “Do you have a clue what’s happening?” 

“Only a bit,” Starrk admitted, “I don’t know why but Ichigo is getting stronger, almost exponentially. His form, it looks like he’s upgrading his level.” 

Seeing how difficult it was to both speak and hold the device steady, Shunsui decided to break in, “Don’t strain yourself to talk too much, I think we could get the rest from either Nnoitra or Grimmjow.” He was glad to see a nod, and the other two Espada proved how good their hearing was when they came over as soon as their names were mentioned. 

It was the Sexta who put the pieces together first, he knew what both Ichigo and Junichi used to feel like and things fell into place from there. He let out a low whistle when the realization came to him, “Never thought he’d get there before me.”

“Just tell us what’s happening, stop dancing around it.” Jyuushiro commanded, worried for his love and child. 

“The two of them are advancing from Adjuchas to Vasto Lorde,” Nnoitra informed, stealing Grimmjow’s limelight. “That’s what the change in power and form signifies. They must have made some kind of breakthrough while stuck together for so long.”

“The baby is alright?” The demand was stiff and urgent.

Unfortunately the Hollows could only shrug, Grimmjow taking back over before Nnoitra could respond, “It’s not like we’re experts on this, but judging by how big he’s getting the cub is growing just fine.” 

“I agree,” Isshin spoke up, in much the same shape as Starrk, “He’s progressing well, she’s going to be here soon by the looks of him.” It was admittedly hard to judge the baby’s progress while Ichigo’s body was changing himself, but Isshin was confident he had a handle on it now. 

Isshin words calmed them down, and he was proven right when not even five minutes later (or about a month for Ichigo as close as they could get worked out), he started to shift around in discomfort, and they could see him come back from his inner world, eyes opening and throwing a hand up to single his father and Starrk to release him.

Just as Isshin was about to drop to his knees and check on his son, Ichigo reared up and nearly ran to the back wall of the cave, pressing up against the rock and letting out a low grumbling hiss. His eyes were gold, ringed with black, and he hadn’t realized the Hollow form like they assumed he would. 

Starrk took command, despite fatigue and breathlessness, experience telling him what was happening. “He’s still deep in his own head right now, and if the baby’s on the way he’s likely to rip apart anyone who gets too close while in this state. Unless he asks for help I suggest we hold back.” 

Isshin looked pained, but it was nothing on the pure defiance displayed by Shunsui and Jyuushiro, the brunette disagreeing rapidly, “We are not leaving him alone to have our daughter, if he hurts us, so be it.” And with that he started picking his way over to the agitated Hollow, Jyuushiro hot on his heels. 

Warning given, Starrk decided it wasn’t his place to interfere anymore, and just watched the two captains approach their love. Everyone else held themselves tense and ready, hoping intervention wouldn’t be needed but preparing to rush in if needed. 

XXXXXShunsuiXXXX

Shunsui shoved back any worry and doubt, this was Ichigo having their baby and he was going to be there for him no matter what.

His steps were slow and cautious, Jyuushiro so close on his heels he could feel the other captain’s breath on the back of his neck. He called out softly when they were a few paces away, “Ichigo? It’s okay now, you’re safe, let us help you.”

He was expecting a rejection, either verbally or physically, he was unprepared for the crash of a Hierro hardened body slamming into himself and Jyuushiro. Ichigo had plowed into them, and proceeded to collapse into his arms and bury his face in Shunsui’s neck, almost like a scared animal scenting his surroundings. Jyuushiro reached out and started stroking lightly up and down Ichigo’s back soothingly. “The baby’s coming,” They heard the muffled words echoing with shadows of Junichi’s voice, and Shunsui held him a bit tighter. 

Jyuushiro responded first, “That’s so good to hear, I can’t wait to see our daughter.” He affirmed. 

“Do you need anything?” Shunsui asked gently.

Ichigo shook his head, “No, just stay with me. Only want you two, no one else.” This time when he nuzzled into Shunsui’s neck the elder Shinigami felt the mask pressing against his skin.

“Are you comfortable like this?” He couldn’t help but question.

Only to receive another nod, “Junichi and I are one like this, want to do this together.” He absently explained while the majority of his focus was drawn inward, the muscles in his abdomen clenching tight in a contraction. 

Jyuushiro waited for his tense body to relax, “Can’t say I understand the bond between you two, but this is your choice. Do what feels right.” That elicited a smile from leached white lips. Ichigo turning so he could look at Jyuushiro from where he was resting against Shunsui. The white-haired Captain making it easier by coming around to the side and holding onto Ichigo right along with Shunsui.

Ichigo settled down into his task from that point. Junichi’s instincts demanding they stay separated from the group, Ichigo’s balancing desires allowing for the presence of their loves. The exception grudgingly allowed once Junichi felt just how safe and happy being in their arms made his King. 

He curled up against Shunsui’s strong chest, with Jyuushiro’s arms circling all of them, and let pain wash over him. Ichigo and Junichi linked tightly, their consciousness melding together to form one whole. The balance of instinct and desire getting them through the grueling process. 

They had sunk so deeply into themselves that they were startled by their water breaking, soft and gentle hands helped to calm them down and strip them of wet clothing before they’d even had time to register the discomfort, Shunsui draping his pink Haori around their shoulder’s. The cloth was warm and smelled like home to their paired minds, Junichi had no protest towards sinking deeply into the silk and just breathing in the mild fragrance of their loves. 

Even though Ichigo had waited to signal them until he couldn’t handle another moment locked in his own head, it still took hours for labor to urge his baby deep down inside him. 

As the pressure in his back and hips increased he had to adjust position, going from curling up against Shunsui’s chest to kneeling upright with his arms thrown equally around Shunsui and Jyuushiro’s shoulders. His breathing grew heavy and harsh, the pain increasing and getting closer together. 

The others watching saw these signs, and it spurred Isshin into taking a risk. He came over to them with a bundle of towels and supplies, though the moment he stepped into range of Ichigo’s highly strung senses the low growl started up again. In the interim hours Starrk had given a rundown of the instincts his son was obeying right now, and Isshin used that knowledge to help instead of taking offense. He slid the bundle to Jyuushiro, and after some calm words of encouragement he backed off to let the trio handle the birth of their daughter just between them.

And it was getting ever more apparent they wouldn’t have much longer to wait. Ichigo was trembling and rocking with the pain, his legs splayed wide. His groans were getting deeper and longer, the tone changing as the pain evolved into nearly overwhelming pressure. 

“King, she’s coming,” Junichi’s strained warning cut through the haze, the words breaking through to the outside world without them realizing it until Shunsui’s calm voice washed over them.

“You’re doing so well, go on, if she’s ready to come then help her,” He whispered, pressing his lips to their left temple, Jyuushiro mirroring the move from the right. “We’re right here with you.” He added. 

Their words helped give him strength as he took a deep breath and pushed with the urge, a cry of surprise and pain pulled from his throat as the effort only increased the pressure from her head dropping. 

Strong hands rubbed against his strained back, “That’s it, keep going.” Shunsui encouraged. “I know it hurts, but our little girl is almost here.”

The reminder, and the love pouring into him from all sides, affected both Ichigo and Junichi, their pained cry cutting off and turning into a low growling grunt of effort. 

The baby must have liked their determination because they felt her respond steadily, stinging pain signaling their success at bringing her down. When the contraction was over, he gasped out, “I can feel her head.” 

It was Jyuushiro’s free hand that slid down his back and didn’t stop, gentle searching fingertips were rewarded when they felt something warm and wet bulging from the canal formed for the baby’s exit. “I’ve got her,” He assured, kissing Ichigo’s temple again, “She’s so close Ichi, just a few more pushes.”

A pleased nod and smile was the only response Ichigo could muster up before he was pushing again, urging the baby out into Jyuushiro’s waiting hand so efficiently the captain needed to shuffle Ichigo fully into Shunsui’s hold and move around to give his full attention to the arriving baby. “You are so strong Love, I can see her nose already.” Jyuushiro’s voice was wavering and his eyes were filling with joyful tears, he locked eyes with Shunsui across Ichigo’s shoulder and could see all the emotion filling him was swelling inside Shunsui as well. Love shone through brightly in this moment of new life. 

Ichigo and Junichi could feel their devotion showering down on them and their little girl. It was perfect as he bore down again, the sudden release of pressure and surge of unanticipated pain had him shuddering, in lieu of an explanation Jyuushiro made a happy demand, “Give me your hand.” 

Releasing his death grip around Shunsui was not easy, but the reward was unfathomable when his hand was guided to his baby and he first felt her little nose, tiny mouth, and miniature chin. Her head was out. 

He lit up brighter than the sun with the realization, Jyuushiro grinning just as broadly, “She’s so ready to be here Ichi, come on, one more push.” 

Together, Junichi and Ichigo strained hard, pain and devotion driving them to finish this. She slowly emerged, shoulders showing themselves one at a time, Jyuushiro shifting the baby forward as she arrived, until when they had paused to gulp in a breath he urged, “Go on Ichi, catch her.” It didn’t take the pair a heartbeat before they’d lowered both hands to their baby -Shunsui’s grip steady and sure on their shoulders- and with one last deep breath and steady shove she was born into their arms. Junichi and Ichigo’s intertwined minds were humming with pride and love as they brought her up to their chest, inspecting every inch of her with Jyuushiro and Shunsui surrounding them protectively.

She was wailing her lungs out, red and messy from birth, but in their eyes she was the most gorgeous creature they had ever laid eyes on. From her ten little toes to the top of her head, she was perfect. 

Shunsui laughed with glee when he got to the tuft of damp hair on her head, it was silver as corn silk, “Well, that answers one question.” He announced joyously, squeezing his arms around Jyuushiro, Ichigo, and their baby. “I thought so all along, my two favorite people just gave me a little treasure to love.” 

Jyuushiro was showering both his loves and his new daughter with small kisses. “She is our own perfect treasure isn’t she?” He didn’t think his heart could get any bigger, but then it just kept growing.

Ichigo, both exhausted and triumphant, spoke up, “Yes, she is, so let’s call her Takara.”

Both older Captains just about burst with love and pride at hearing Ichigo name their daughter while curled up against them, the tiny newborn clutched to his chest as her continued cries affirmed her vitality. 

“That’s a perfect name, Takara, our little treasure.” Shunsui agreed, the first of them regaining the ability to speak. 

Jyuushiro was too choked up to speak, so he decided to show his love rather than say anything at all. He pulled the bundle Isshin had given them closer, and retrieved a towel to softly clean and dry her, never once loosening Ichigo’s grip on her small body.

It was only when she was completely comfortable, and Ichigo’s body had taken care of the aftermath of delivery that he and Junichi slowly disconnected and allowed their body to change into their Shinigami form. Takara’s only protest was a whine of displeasure at being jostled while she snuggled closer to Ichigo’s warm chest, hard Hierro being replaced with soft skin. 

That was the sign the others needed that it was okay to approach, Isshin in the lead to see his son and granddaughter. Ichigo’s triumphant grin made his own eyes tear up as he held his baby so proudly, like a badge of honor. “Dad, meet Takara.” He introduced, but made no moves to release her. Not even his loves had held her yet, only himself. 

Isshin dropped to his knees in front of them and laid a gentle hand on the baby, stroking her cheek with his thumb, eyes overflowing. “She’s perfect Ichigo.”


End file.
